The guy they call death
by Streetpixie
Summary: what if the flux is a prelude, to gr8r power hidden within? when this inner power is activated, in all the galactik footballer players in the galaxy, things are going to get interesting. Some will gain flight, some the ability to fight, some will manifest in the mind others physically. all will gain power. But naturally the bad guys are gonna wanna take it. lol suck at summaries
1. Chapter 1

hi guys this is my first ever fanfiction! ever! kinda nervous please be kind!**  
**there will be some romance l8r, there will be blood and gore and there may be swearing (all l8r), other than that i will keep it clean but T cos I'm paranoid, oh and their will be oc characters!**  
**I know this 1st chapter is kinda boring but please when i'm done, try the second, i have a lot of ideas and unfortunately they all come at a l8r point- gah why am i such a slow starter lol it will get betr pinkie swear ;)**  
**I know theres barely any sci fi 4 snow kids, but really this thing wont b just sci fi, itll cover a whole range of genres, and hopefully u all wont hate it! lol**  
**hope you enjoy!

D'Jok called him. Micro-ice continued playing his video game-something to do with ninjas-, lounging on the couch. He sighed again, and called once more, louder this time. Micro-ice looked up lazily one eye still on the screen, then started and dropped the controller when he saw D'joks outfit.  
He was dressed in a black suit rimmed at the collar and cuffs with metallic gold, it would've looked sharp only the gaudy gold utility belt squeezing it in to tight and the pointy green shoes he was also wearing overpowered it.

Micro-ice gawked 'Um, D'jok –what the hell?!' He gasped  
'... And… why?'

D'jok was silent, he was already regretting this, he felt guilty for coming to Micro-ice with it, but well, he reasoned that he'd help Micro-ice, if he were in the same situation. And besides, he'd helped Micro-ice with embarrassing scenes loads of times.  
He still felt guilty though, he knew Micro-ice had been looking forward to having time to beat his personal record without Thran- the game master- grabbing a second controller and forcing him to go one on one with him.  
Thran was out with his parents and his brother for a family meal today, which meant all the more that he was completely depending on Micro-ice. D'jok sighed, he was embarrassed for having to do this, especially with Micro-ice who usually came to himwith his problems.

Micro-ice started to laugh, muffling it with his sleeve.  
'Mei wants me to go to this function with her and her parents, and apparently I have to wear this if I want to go.'  
'Then don't go' Micro-ice laughed beneath his sleeve 'and again… what?'  
'I have to, and it's a uniform for all under-eighteen men attending. The shoes however are a present from Mei's mother'  
Micro-ice silently thanked god again for stopping him from ever having a chance with Mei.  
'Does the woman have no taste or what?' he guffawed.  
'She has taste alright she just wants to embarrass me because I'm captain of the team and Mei got carded last game.'

Micro-ice rolled his eyes and grinned 'So you came to show me your outfit so you could complain about it?' then switching to a high-pitched voice and clasping his hands 'Oh tell me all of your woes my poor, poor captain! Sympathy! Sympathy!'  
'Shut up'  
D'jok half-glared barely trying to hide the fact that Micro-ice's voice transforming into an over dramatic whimpering fan girl's one, was pretty funny, D'jok waited for him to notice that he'd forgotten to pause his game.

'What's wrong? Am I not sympathetic enough' asked Micro-ice with mock concern. D'jok half smiled, he wasn't feeling so guilty anymore.  
_He'll just have to deal with it,_ he thought _after all, I've saved his butt more times than I can count._

'Ha, ha, not.' He glared ' No, I'm not just here to complain smart ass, not about the fact that my girlfriend doesn't seem to care that her mother is about to publicly embarrass me in front of everyone in her company and in the entire galaxy considering that there is definitely going to be media coverage for a designer clothes business party like the one she's talking about.  
Or about how she lied through her teeth and said that the belt was flattering, or about the fact that I'm going to be one of the only 'under-eighteen men' going, or about the fact that she's saying I'm being whiny about these god awful shoes, I mean how would she react if she had to wear something like this for my dad's work?'  
'Ha I think she'd probably be more worried about the amount of guns and spying involved'  
'Exactly there's no way she would! And-' he was about to carry on in his tirade when Micro-ice interrupted him.  
'No you're not complaining at all'

D'jok cracked a smile 'Whatever, anyway the point is that you're coming to.'

'What!?'

' I'm about to go out dressed like this' He gestured with distaste to his clothes.  
'It'll definitely be –if only a little- better, if I don't have to do it alone.

'D'jok you can't be serious!' Micro-ice laughed 'There is no way in hell I'm going to a party with Mei and her mother if I don't have to.'  
'Micro-ice we're best friends! I'm about to completely humiliate myself, are you really refusing to help me? Besides their might be some cute girls there, I mean it is a clothes company and all'

Micro-ice raised his eyebrow, he highly doubted whether girls attending an obviously posh party like this would even look at him. 'D'jok I'm not THAT desperate'

'Micro-ice I really need your help on this.' D'jok eyed him.  
Micro-ice sighed.  
'Micro-ice'  
He groaned.  
'Please?'  
Micro-ice looked him in the eyes and raised his hands in defeat. D'jok knew from the start that he'd win, the moment he decided to go to Micro-ice .  
Micro-ice just didn't have the heart to let anyone face the terrors of social trauma of the likes D'jok was tackling, not alone anyway, besides it's not like he'd ever abandon his best friend.

'I don't even have the thing to wear' Micro-ice said weakly, half-heartedly grasping at the fast retreating vision of his relaxing evening.

D'jok grinned and brought out a suit -identical to his own apart from being wrapped in cellophane- from behind his back.  
He handed it to his grim-face friend and turned to leave, he heard Micro-ice yelp as he remembered his game. '…Noooooooooooooo! My level! D'jok you-

He laughed to himself, _Micro-ice you never change._

It's a bit of a slow starter but well yeah, i said this all before huh?**  
**oh well, i'll keep trying, thanks 4 reading it!


	2. Chapter almost 2

_Hello again! Thank you to the review I got from Femalespock! Woo 1__st__ ever review!  
Ok I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with this pace but I really want to improve on last time and get the story going. Lol, waaaaaaaaaaaay too many ideas but I'm having fun.  
I was going to move straight into the story like last time but … I got this sudden urge to write about characters from other teams and so when I sat down to write the second chapter what came out was that, basically it's a few characters from each team and what they were doing the night of the party, because of that instead of it being chapter 2, this is more like chapter 1.5. But it's super long so don't worry you don't have to read all of it lol, but I'd love it if u did ;) :D  
Hope you enjoy!  
Love from the Streetpixie 3_**  
**  
The snow girls on **Akillian**.

Mei was trying on the eighteenth outfit so far; this one was purple, sleeveless and went down to just below the knee with a bow type sash around the waste to show off her shape, she stood in front of the long mirror, turning this way and that in the dress, putting her hair up and down in several different ways and in various shapes currently popular in the galaxy, each more impossible then the last, then finally, as always, deciding on her usual ponytail.

Her mother would be sending a cruiser to pick her and D'jok up in half an hour.  
She was about to begin her bitter rant to her roommates about D'jok wasting all her time with his whining, planning to use up all of her stored pre-party stress.  
When, seeming to know what was coming with the attuned foreboding senses she'd gained from being Mei's roommate for almost a year- Tia mentioned something about a shower and quickly left the innocent and oblivious Yumi to deal with Mei.  
Mei tossed her hair to the side again in a gesture of irritation at Tia's exit -having wanted to ask both of her roommates their opinions on her eight favourite dresses, before quickly undoing her already perfect ponytail only to redo it again.

The red head on the bed across from her continued listening to Mei's righteous complaints, Yumi had declined the invitation to dinner with her cousins, her aunt and her uncle, saying that she'd be too tired from the week of heavy training and practice matches, to be good conversation.  
She was regretting that now.  
Mei was nice and fun to talk to, but in the hours before a party she unintentionally turned into a walking talking reincarnation of her mother.  
Yumi shuddered unintentionally, not having ever really spoken to the terrifying and controlling creature but remembering the many, many warnings she'd received from the other players about the woman on her first day.

*  
Zatikog and Nihilis on the** Shadow Archipelago**.

The chattiest and most calculating of the shadows players sat opposite each other,  
'Fulmugus.' Said Nihilis quietly, speaking using the shadow language.  
Zatikog looked up and the two stared at each other for a long while.  
Zatikog slowly opened his mouth, then closed it, stared at her for a moment more and then chose to look to his left, at the wall, staring at a speck of dust on it

'Former captain' Zatikog replied speaking in a deep, warm voice, it was always of mild surprise to Nihilis whenever she heard it, well, it was a mild surprise to her when any of her companions spoke.

**-By the way, the Shadows do speak to each other in their own native tongue of grunts and quasi sounds but most struggle with languages, the Shadows are one of the few people at this point in time, in the galaxy with their own unique language, most beings on the northern hemisphere of the galaxy speak the official language of the galaxy while on the southern hemisphere having two languages or more, ****including**** the official language, is quite common.-**

But even for a Shadow, his voice was a surprise to anyone and everyone who heard it, Zatikog's sombre voice was almost melodic in its timbre, highly unusual from the usual guttural voices of his kind.

'Very angry' responded Nihilis politely.  
They paused again to think this over; there was the ticking of a clock in the background. The dark red chandelier situated in the centre of the dimly lit brown rec. room, slowly swung, creaking from side to side above their heads.  
'Coach favours Sinead'  
they paused and the process repeated once more.  
'Neither are Shadows'  
And repeated.  
'Fulmugus lost to the Ryker's captain, Kernor before.'  
And again repeated.  
'Yes, it was one-on-one, netherball.'  
AND REPEATED.  
'Fulmugus is a striker, Sinead also.'  
(Please tell me you know the drill by now)  
'But Sinead is stronger'  
There was a far longer pause were they stared at one another.  
Zatikog stroked his chin, a gesture he had learned from rival team captains during matches 'Fulmugus is drunk now?'

'Probably'

'Hopefully he won't leave the team.'  
'Mmm we still need him….'  
'The others are getting drunk also huh?'  
'…Probably'  
The two stared at each other, Nihilis glanced at the clock, they'd been talking for two hours now.  
'Should we make sure they don't go overboard?'  
'Probably.'  
'They'll get us extra laps for this too.'  
'Probably.'  
The two looked at each other and sighed before getting up from the black table and leaving the dark room.  
*

Shekmut, Gahee, Kernor and Irius on planet **Unadar.**

Irius swung his weight down, leading with his elbow, using so much force that the recoil actually forced the strong, muscular captain of the Rykers,  
-seen to be able to lift two of her teammates at the same time without breaking a sweat-  
Kernor, despite her efforts in keeping still to thrust forward before flomping back down onto the recovery bed. She gasped, 'Well you sure don't hold back, do ya?' she panted, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the group.

'It's so your leg heals quickly, deal with it'  
'Heh, be reasonable Ker, you did threaten to kick the hell of his 'skinny little ass' if he held back on ya,' said Gahee, she looked comfortable and her smile was too forced and rigid but Kernor took no notice of that.  
'Ha, fair enough, but maybe kick ain't the right word' she smirked but her eyes squinched in pain at the last second.  
Irius sighed irritably 'Maybe not Kernor, but the word will fit soon enough; the medicine is working well with your system.'

Shekmut sighed Gahee glanced at her narrowing her eyes, Shekmut shrugged,  
_What did the girl expect, the Ryker captain was lying on a bed with a green freak of a stranger hovering over her, and they were powerless with no choice left other than to accept the tall man's help.  
_Gahee was irritated, of course she understood how Shekmut felt but he shouldn't be showing Kernor his worry. Kernor would interpret it as her causing trouble and the only result would be her keeping her troubles to herself even more, which was the reason her leg had gotten so bad in the first place.  
'Oi Gahee, stop worrying yourself. Shekmut stop worrying Gahee' she said  
**- just so you know, the Unadar accent is surprisingly close to the 'okie' accent of another, very strange, dimension, in a galaxy far from this one. Another similarity between 'okies' and Unadarians is that the people of Unadar actively exercise their right to the owning of firearms.  
which is why all present were in possession of tecnoid produced blaster guns, that were of course not allowed to during matches-  
**'Hell' groaned Shekmut 'Why didn't you come to us with this at the beginning?'  
'It wasn't so bad before, you didn't need to know, now it is bad, you needed to know' Kernor said.

Her voice only infuriating him more, she explained the situation with a wave of her hand so easily, using a so what / are you an idiot? Tone that made her two teammates want to grapple her to the ground and punch her attitude problem right out of her.

'I know what ya'll thinking and you know there's no way you could take me' and then as an afterthought 'even if you double-teamed it'

'Calm down all of you' the tall man said in a clipped tone.  
He wore a white suit which clashed against his skin making Gahee think of a praying mantis, everything about him was like that, tall and slim, his hands were thin and spindly, is face was more or less humanoid but had an oddly angular sense to it, his teeth if seen when he spoke, matched his suit in an almost luminous way, too bright, his eyes were a mud coloured brown that gave nothing away other than irritation and at rare times, boredom.  
He had a no-nonsense aura that pervaded around him like a heavy fog.  
In short he was creepy and none of the three young players trusted him.

But he was there only option, if they went to a regular physician or medic the game could be called off, or worse, it could go on but without Kernor.

'Whatever' said Gahee.  
'Just heal her quickly, we have a match tomorrow.' Said Shekmut.

The man smiled coldly  
'But of course.'  
*

Lune Zeara and Lin Zeara on the **Wamba's planet.**

'Lin, what are you doing here? I'm about to go training.'

'I hate Gort' said the small chubby Wamba girl stamping her foot.

'What is … Gort?' asked the Wamba star player confused.

'Gort is a boy at my school' said the girl as if it was the most obvious thing in the world'  
'Oh, I see and why do you hate this boy Lin?'  
'Because he's stupid'  
'Hmm' nodded Lune, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes.  
'He called me stupid'  
'Oh?'  
'He was talking about 'the roar' with the others and said it was cool and I asked what it was and he called me stupid.'  
'That wasn't very nice'  
'And that I should know because we're sisters and that there better not be nepomism when I get big'  
'Nepomism?' Lune Zeara said screwing her brows together 'ahhhh' she said, 'Nepotism'  
'what's that?'  
'Um, it's giving something to someone just because you're related and not giving others a chance to get at that same thing. '  
'Oh, is it bad?'  
'Yes, it means they didn't earn the thing they got. Um Like you got student of the week two months ago right? Because you worked for it but if it was a nepotism based reward, it would be determined by whether the teacher has a niece in that class or something and niece would automatically get it, so you wouldn't have a chance'  
'Oh, that'd suck, will there be that when I'm big like he said?'  
'No, definitely not, there's no way that would happen' said Lun Zeara firmly.  
'Oh, good' said the girl reassured 'Em, what's the roar? Is it loud?'  
Lune Zeara smiled and laughed 'Sometimes, yes, in you it will probably hurt all your rivals' ears,'  
'I don't think that's a good plan, it would hurt my throat too much after a while'  
At this Lune Zeara cracked up 'Yes, yes, that's true, but that's not what I meant Lin.' She giggled 'The roar exists in all of the Wamba's it is our inner-strength. But most people associate-'Then seeing the girl's confusion 'Sorry, most people think of the Wamba football team when they hear 'the roar''  
'Oh, why?'  
'The roar is our flux'  
'Flux is life energy right?'  
'Yes, exactly! you're very smart Lin' Lune Zeara smiled sunnily.  
'Why's it called the roar? I don't understand it at all'  
'Because when our players use the flux, they let out a loud roar.'  
'Where does it come from?' she asked moving closer to the tall grey skinned player, looking like an exact copy of her, their red hair and blue eyes identical 'The flux I mean.'  
'Each flux in the galaxy comes for different reasons' the player explained, kneeling down on to speak to the little girl at eye level 'The Roar is generated by the rays of our moon Ivo, these rays are what give the Wamba's players our brilliant speed and agility'  
'Am I dumb for not knowing this?'  
'No, not at all do you think someone is dumb for not knowing something they had no way of knowing?'  
'No but-'  
'You didn't have a way of knowing and you didn't know you were meant to know it, how could you have known? But you know Lin, you've actually done a very smart thing that even grown up's struggle with'  
'what?' said the girl, curious.  
'You asked someone you trusted and found out, it's hard to admit you don't know something, but you came to me and you did admit that, and instead of just leaving it be, and hoping you'd eventually find out, you made an effort to further your knowledge' she grinned.  
The girl smiled 'So is he stupid?'  
'Nah, he's just a kid, and a man, never a good combination,' she laughed again, giggling with her little sister 'they're both hopeless!'  
'Really, they can't help it.' She explained with a wink.

The girl smiled and wrapped her arms around the striker's neck, hugging her, 'Thanks sis you're the best' she said before turning quickly and scampering off.

Lune Zeara rose and raised an eyebrow. _Why can I never give such good advice to my own worries?_ 'Aiyah!' she sighed under her breath.  
Lune Zeara in her own opinion was no better than her little sister when it came to getting along with her peers, just as headstrong and twice as stubborn.

She checked the time, she was late, yet another dart for her captain and (newly) ex-boyfriend the usually good tempered Woowambo, to throw.

Cyron of the Lightnings and Akkamukk of the Cyclops in the Cyclopias stadium on **planet Cyclopias.**

'Good luck to your team in the match Cyron, don't forget our little bet' said Akkamukk, doing a very deliberate blink to let her know he was winking.

'How could I?' she asked glaring at the young player 'as a coach and as a guardian of my players that's just insulting'

'Yes, yes, please don't forget that the only thing stopping your lead player, Warren from finding out, is me'  
Cyron bristled _the only thing putting danger into him finding out is you and you know it, ignorant toad. _She sighed 'Please don't forget that the last time we played you fair and square, you lost by six points.'

'Never mind, we shall see, won't we? May the best team win'  
'Of course' said Cyron turning swiftly and leaving the Cyclops captain standing there.  
Soon the match would begin.  
**(-I know this one is small, but yeah it's for a reason, please just go with it! lol x)**

Stephen and Kate in the **Nebula** **of Shiloe.**

The two moved off, away from the ship being stocked with supplies and belongings by their teammates and by some Sonny Blackbone's troops. The ship was stolen, they didn't even need to look to check, revamped and refitted, it was most likely a technoid one, despite the truce that was going on between technoid leader and pirates leader, despite the fact the two engaged in conversation and sat together when at football matches, stealing of goods from both sides was still going on, under Sonny or Duke Madox, no one knew, perhaps it was merely workers simply continuing with their usual duties and not asking questions, the players didn't care.

Sonny was a good man who they trusted, as a coach, as a hero and as a guardian. He'd given them a home, in some cases, where no one else would.

Living on in a belt of asteroids had both perks and drawbacks, many each, but one of the biggest perks was that you never had to go far to find cheap food, the home of the former outlaws was flourishing now. Although they still had emergency evacuation drills every now and again, the business in the market was becoming more prosperous now; the pirate players and the people who worked for Sonny in the organisation were starting to buy more.  
Now there was a bigger chance they'd get to keep it all.

The two navigated through the twists and turns of the crowds in the now bustling streets, it was always like this on days in the weekend. They stopped at Python's. Only recently set up, the milkshake bar was a hit with all the players, the owner was retired with a wife and children that had grown up living elsewhere in the galaxy, Sonny had saved the two during a mission a few years back, and 'wanting to make use' of themselves the two decided to set up shop again, going back to doing one of the only things they knew how, making milkshakes. And boy were they good, the owner never charged much, he was a kind man who had done everything in his life that he wanted to but he still liked to see happy faces on his customers, especially the young pirate players.

The two ordered and sat at a two seat table. The ship preparations would take a while yet and they needed to talk.  
'Well?' asked Kate 'How do you think the match with the Rykers will go?'  
'Impossible to tell' shrugged Stephens 'we have totally different playing styles'  
'Yeah, they play dirty'  
'Kate'  
'I'm just saying'  
'We'll play our hardest, just like always.'  
'And yet we never win'  
'Kate what's up with you today your being kind of…'  
'Kind of what?' she asked danger in her voice.  
'Precocious' Stephens answered deciding to ignore her mood 'Our team doesn't use flux because we're a mixed flux base and it's not allowed, it's an obvious disadvantage yet we're strong enough to give THE strongest teams a run for their money every time. They take us seriously and always go full flux strength against us because of it. We have as much a chance as anyone who competes'  
'A mixed flux base, eh? So working together with people of different nationalities isn't allowed?'  
'Kate I'm not saying that, you know I'd never think that.'  
'Yeah but if there was no flux in the games we'd definitely win hands down'  
'because other teams orient themselves on the games' Stephens sighed rubbing at his temples with his fingers 'Kate this is too serious a conversation, you're giving me a headache'  
Kate shrugged and sipped at her chocolate shake 'I always get like this before a Rykers game, sorry, but because of that Kernor I almost never walked again, never played again, and her smug little face when they carried me off. 'That's what you get for not joining us Rykers' all over it. It just, she just makes me so mad.' She trailed off.

'Well she didn't tell anyone who you were after she realised that time when you first played against them with us'  
'That was so she could humiliate me later, which she did, the laughs of those other Rykers echoing around the stadium, and no one in the audience understanding why.'

'Kate' Stephens put a hand on her shoulder.  
She looked at him, and felt herself feel better. She sighed 'It's ok Stephens, never mind now, it's just thinking 'bout it that gets to me.'  
'Yeah' he nodded then she felt him smile 'In that case let's enjoy these DELICIOUS milkshakes' He said loud enough for the owner to hear.  
*

Luur and Dyga on **planet Xenon.**

Dyga punched Luur. The moment of contact was a defining moment, for Luur, it was the moment when his older brother, usually weaker than him, usually calmer than him and usually standing behind him, demand rudely, immediate change of Luur's entire world.  
For Dyga it was the moment when he did what he should have done long ago and stood up to his brother… and it was the moment when with a sharp click noise, he broke his hand.

'OOoooooooooooooow!' He yelled venomously clutching his hand and half bending over.  
Luur stood looking at him, tilting his head to the side slightly.

Realizing that he'd sort of ruined the aura of 'Not taking crap anymore' that he'd managed to finally create, jolted up, letting go of his hand and straight backed with as much dignity as he could now muster said 'Luur, no more.'

Luur, head still tilted, raised his eyebrows.

Dyga ignored this 'I have something to say and I'm going to say it.'

Luur's head, eyebrows still raised, began to slowly nod.

'It's very important to me'  
More nodding.  
'And no matter what you say or do, one way or another I'm going to make you listen'  
Again the only reaction he could give was to nod.

Dyga was Luur's exact height and build, equally intelligent and equally gifted, the only real, physical, major-staring-a-stranger-in-the-face difference other than their age was that Dyga had always lacked confidence, Luur had always thought he'd had enough for both of them.

'I love football'

Luur stopped and stared at him 'that's it?'

' …Yes.'

'well, yeah you always said it wasn't really your thing but, THAT's your reason for punching me?'

'Yes' he said jutting his chin out.  
'THE FUCK!?'  
'What?' said Dyga panicking, taking a step back.  
'You don't just punch a guy because you like sport!'  
'But you're always going on about how much of a man you are I figured it was the way to get through to you, like being polite by sharing in your interests or something…. I don't know! Stop glaring at me like that Luur,'  
'You call that POLITE?!' He asked staring at him like he was a marshmallow that had decided to start chatting to him about the weather. 'and I do not go on about how much of a man I am.'

'You kind of do'  
'No I do not, and again! You call that polite?!'  
'You do and aren't you over reacting a bit?'  
'Over reacting!? NO I don't'  
'Luur stop yelling, your acting like such a child' Dyga sighed shaking his head.  
'WHAT!?'  
'Honestly I didn't think you'd freak out so much once you found out or I wouldn't have told you. Maybe your too young to know.'  
Luur let out a low growl and said in a deep low threatening and menacing voice 'Again, I repeat this word, for possibly the eighteenth time since this insane conversation began, what. And this time Dyga, I mean it and you are going to give me a serious answer or I will beat, the LIVING shit. Out of you. What.'  
'I was going to try out for the Xenon football team when I found out you were already going to. You told me with a cursory 'yeah, I think I'll go for it' which for you meant that you were more excited than you knew how to put into words without sounding dorky, and I knew you were going to become the strongest member of all. But I love the game, just as much as you if not more and I too have been training on my own, hopefully just as much as you.  
But now, there will be no more. I will try out for the team and I will with everything I have compete for the seat of Number one, the seat of Captain of the Xenons. With you.'

Luur stared at him like he was a marshmallow who after discussing the weather with him turned round and started using flux to burn some smores while cackling all the while. With a cape. A black one.

'Wuut?'  
'exactly.'  
'You never said anything like that before, we've never competed for anything even once'  
'other than our parent's love I'd say I have to agree with you.'  
'Ok then'  
They paused and exchanged a look, Luur grinned 'Brother I look forward to competing with you' moving forward and grasping his hand, accidentally crushing the already broken bones.  
Still smiling Dyga let out a small squeak like that of a freshly oiled door.  
'Yeah'

'We should probably get that looked at'

'Yeah'

Woohoo! We made it through! Wow thanks for reading all that! That must take determination, lol don't worry I won't drag things out so much next time! No Lune Zeara is not the same character as the womba player that joins the snow kids in season 3. –which by the way will not happen in this story.  
wow my 2nd chapter things are going quickly even though it took an age to write. Thanks for those who've read the 1st chapter and decided to try the 2nd I love you all!  
:D 3

-Streetpixie going to take a well deserved nap now.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys sorry for slow update, my computer is a devious creature whose tempestuous personality forces me to live in fear of its many whims. This time it decided on a whim that it wouldn't allow me onto Microsoft word for a while. And then came Christmas and naturally what accompanies every Christmas, last minute Christmas shopping. So really I haven't had __any__ time to post. Sorry, sorry, it was fixed before Christmas break so I have had it done for the past few days but I didn't post because of Christmas day and well…  
Before you all berate me for the many, many lie- I mean excuses, how about reading the next chapter for me?_

_Lol lots of love from the Streetpixie 3  
Oh and I hope you all had a good Christmas!_

Micro-ice clipped the metallic gold utility belt into place. Running his hand along the cold metal, his mind groaning to him about how gaudy it was. He sighed and turned to look at the only mirror in the room.

The suit was tuxedo style with a no tie-white silk shirt, a black coat, long black trousers and black shoes. He'd found a pair of simple ovals in a coat-pocket, carefully wrapped in purple tissue paper, he identified them as onyx cufflinks and whistled softly at how expensive they looked. The cuffs of the black coat itself were rimmed at the very ends with a thin line of gold, the small bit of gold stood out against the strong night time black of the rest of the outfit, complimenting each other. It wasn't gaudy at all, it was even refined! Before you put the utility belt on that is.  
Why the people at the party had felt the need to ruin it all with the garish belt was a total mystery, the outfit as a whole was sharply cut, beautifully designed and exceptionally well-tailored. Micro-ice guessed that D'jok had ordered one specifically in his size before bothering to ask him to actually attend the party, it fit him so perfectly.  
Briefly he wondered if the cost of his entire wardrobe was worth as much as the suit.

Micro-ice had never had much interest in clothes, always throwing on the first pants, t-shirt and hoodie he could lay his hands on every morning (or midday, depending on whether it was the weekend or not) before going out with the guys.

But even he could tell the simple fact that, before he clipped the utility belt on, he looked good.  
His hair didn't match the suit though, it was the usual way he had it: Simple; cut off in a tapered-neck at the back and easy going quasi-bangs at the top, basically just a general boyish haircut. But, with an outfit like this, the hair just looked out of place, like his Mom had combed it for him.  
He didn't process it like that though; he just felt some mild surprise that he looked so 'smart'.

He clipped off the utility belt and strutted about in front of the mirror, before suddenly stopping and throwing an attempt at a gentlemanly bow and holding out a hand.

'Care for a dance lady?' he said in the suavest voice he could muster 'wait, that's wrong' he muttered, balanced precariously, hand still outstretched towards the mirror and to no lady in particular 'care for a dance your… grace? No, um…your elegance? Your… diligence? Care for a dance Ma'am? Madame? Milady?' Still fumbling with invitations to an imaginary dance floor Micro-ice was understandably startled when the door to the room was suddenly opened. Micro-ice froze mid-pose, he and Rocket's gaze met.

'Ah heh.' an awkward grin pasted on his face 'Uh Rocket I-'  
But the striker and ex-captain was already turning around and shutting the door behind him.  
Micro-ice exhaled heavily and was about to stand up when the door was flung open a Second time.  
Off balance, Micro-ice suddenly veered forward and wildly flailing his arms in frantic windmill motions, toppled forward doing one sideways tumble as he hit the ground, barely missing the mirror.  
D'jok raised a bemused eyebrow over his crooked grin before he cracked up laughing.

Micro-ice uncurled himself from the lopsided ball he'd formed during the tumble, lying on his side he glanced at D'jok, currently holding his sides as if they were about to run off in opposite directions and leave him there gasping from lack of oxygen. Micro-ice started to laugh as well.

The two in the room giggled together like little kids, unable to put a stopper on themselves.  
_It's not this funny _some voice in the back of their heads seemed to say, but for whatever reason despite the voice of common sense telling them to get a grip, the two continued to laugh as one. Maybe they had a feeling they'd need this memory to get them through the coming weeks.  
They laughed and they laughed and they wheezed and then laughed some more.  
Until finally, D'jok lay down beside Micro-ice on the floor panting.  
'You're not ready yet?' he asked with sarcastic surprise.  
Micro-ice let out a last embarrassed laugh before showing off his goofy grin 'Give me a break, the only thing left is the belt'  
'Of course it's the belt'  
'Can you really blame me?'  
'Isn't that obvious? Come on, I don't know who'll get mad at us first, Mei or her mother. And I'm sure this surprises you to no end time waster, but I really don't want to find out'  
He stood up grabbing Micro-ice by the wrist and pulling him along with him.  
Micro-ice jumped up as he was pulled, he grabbed the garish belt with obvious distaste putting it on quickly; the two exited the room, D'jok teasing Micro-ice about his antics and Micro-ice theatrically describing Rocket's facial expression when their eyes met.

They didn't know how hard Mei's mother was going to smack the two of them with her handbag.

They didn't know anything.

'Nork Agnet here, as I'm sure you all know.' Winked the Arcadia news reporter

'Tonight we have a major treat with the Lightnings and the Cyclops going head to head in a friendly match mid-tournament! Callie how are things cooking up over on Cyclopias?'  
A screen behind Nork blips on as he half turns, arms rested on the table.

'Hi Nork, This is Callie Mystic reporting live from Cyclopias stadium. Cyclopias stadium is a three tier construction made entirely from the rare green minerals mined here and on Akillian, it can hold up to two billion people at any one time and is one of the largest stadiums in the entire galaxy. Made approximately three hundred years ago and older than galactik football itself the stadium is a historical landmark not just for people of Cyclopias but for the entire galaxy, and is mentioned in a four page report in international award winning travel guide 'Sights of the galaxy' by Nixé Hydron of Hectonia.  
The stadium is glittering like a gemstone tonight and is fully lit up by tonight's full moon, but this lighting effect was actually planned, it's amazing but this ancient building was architecturally designed to cast beautiful reflections of colour onto all of the six cities that enclose it here in the very heart of Cyclope the central country of Cyclopias and boy is it shining tonight. It's environmentally friendly powered exclusively by lunar and solar rays. Natives from all six major cities : Cyclin, Cylip, Cyplus, Cylus and Cirlops are pooling into the stadium tonight. Things are heating up and I'm finding it hard to believe this is just a friendly match! You've got to love that Cyclops enthusiasm! The match will begin in just twenty minutes Nork, I'll keep you posted'

The screen blips off. Nork wheels around. 'That's our word from my wonderful colleague Callie Mystic! Stay tuned to see the match. In other news, temperatures across the galactic southern hemisphere are FINALLY starting to drop in preparation for the south winters. Brand new editions have been made to the newly renovated century old kylronian museum, located in a coastal region on the bee-utiful tropical planet of Zetsa. And in Hotel Poiga, the sophisticated galactic hotel set up five years ago on a comet caught in the Akillian gravity belt, said to be one of the parties of the year, a party competing fashion industry tycoon companies 'Modern Look' and 'Beauty extreme' more on that later with fashion reporter Cieda Harpie. Meanwhile-'

The atmosphere in the limo was icy, Mei sat with folded arms beside D'jok (in case you were wondering, she was in a purple dress) D'jok sat wedged between Mei and Micro-ice, the three pressed up against the very back of the ride, seating themselves as far away from Mei's mother as was physically possible.

The formidable woman herself was sat beside her husband, D'jok and Micro-ice looked at the man, careful to keep their admiration hidden. Mei's father seemed, for all the world, to be belatedly unaware of the tension in the atmosphere.

This was the woman who had plotted the utter destruction of Micro-ice's friendship with D'jok just so that her daughter could gain fame from being a striker. She blamed D'jok almost entirely for Mei's withdrawal from the advertising world. Her opinion of him had gone up slightly when he became captain but after over-hearing criticism of her daughter's performance in the last match it had sunk to an all time low.  
The level of awkwardness between the four had only increased when she caused him a severe nosebleed before allowing him into the ship.

She fixed him with a haughty 'Don't let the blood drip onto your suit' and that was all that was said on the matter.

The ship took them to the asteroid where the flashy limo awaited them, they were just up the road from the hotel but the woman refused to walk. The traffic was dyer and every time she complained to the driver the silence only became heavier.  
D'jok wiped the last of the dried blood away with what remained of the tissues the attendant in the ship had given him.  
Micro-ice shivered, _thank you god, thank you, thank you, THANK you for never letting me have a chance with Mei_.

The demon wife turned to intimidate Micro-ice now. She glared at him through narrowed eyes.  
The glare itself was rather impressive, it was a carefully made mix, like a potion, the perfect mixture of distain and haughtiness, an added helping of malice with just a spoonful of disappointment, all blended together perfectly with a healthy dollop of irritation and a noticeable pinch of impatience.  
Micro-ice wondered if the concoction was the result of dangerous skill built up over years of scowls or whether she was just naturally talented.

'What are you doing here?' now she asks.  
'Um.'  
'Freeloader, are you?'  
'Hmm?'  
'This is an important party, I allowed my daughter to bring that _man _out of courtesy'  
D'jok muffled his 'pffft' of disbelief with a cough. Mei's mother 'humph' ed in irritation.  
'And _you_ suddenly appear. My reputation is on the line as I made it possible for you 'guests' to attend this party tonight. I can't have you wrecking everything'  
'um, I won't wreck everything… miss' Micro-ice tried helplessly.  
'How could you possibly know that you goofy lug?' she scowled menacingly, after all she did watch all of the snow kid matches and Micro-ice was well known for messing about and at times falling over when on the pitch.  
'um'  
'Exactly, you are not to talk to anyone nor to touch the food'  
'Huh?'  
'Not to talk to anyone other than D'jok that is,' she stated charitably 'If you so much as attempt to talk to me or my daughter or anyone else during the party you will suffer consequences young man'  
Micro-ice deciding that appeasement and compliance were probably his only options nodded.  
She turned away to look out the window and check the traffic, he held back a sigh of relief.  
D'jok mouthed the word sorry at him. Micro-ice shrugged and grinned. And Mei fixed the pair with a glare, the likes of which that even her mother would be proud of.

_Ok yeah it didn't dive straight into the party like I've been promising lol but it was so long since an update and I didn't want to leave you all hanging.  
About the_(in case you were wondering, she was in a purple dress) _part, I am listening to you _femalespock_ I am I swear! I realise that adding notes in the middle of the story disrupts things and I've been abstaining from it because of that. But I was writing it and it felt right there, so where it feels right to me, I'll keep things like that in. I do appreciate your reviews and advice though so thank you, I now realize that inserting notes can disrupt reader attention and make you all enjoy it less so I will definitely avoid it from now on where I feel note. Everyone please write me reviews with advice or thoughts on the story whenever you feel cos it is super helpful and encouraging!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi all! Remember me? The slow starter who sucks at updating?  
You will never guess what I am about to do! Get on with it! Shocking isn't it?  
Enjoy!_

_Oh one thing though, later on in this one there's a tricky name it's pronounced Or- rell- lee-us. But spelt Aurelius like the word 'aura' with 'elius' tacked on. Ok? Thanks! Now,  
ENJOY! ! !_

_**A guard bracing himself and explaining some things.**_

Rida was to be one of the guards at the party. And as he'd been told over and over again ever since he'd decided to go for this easy job, he was to blend in. As in, all ten 'special' guards being just under eighteen sort of blending, as in -if a girl at the party asks you to dance with her you dance your little damn ass off- kind of blending, as in pretending to be one of the party-goers and not looking self-conscious type of blending.  
That type of blending.

The corporate fashionoids and their matching guests were to feel totally and completely at ease. Nothing could go wrong, although the hotel was now five years old it was still relatively new and was only now starting to get a real name for itself, this was one of their biggest customers yet and all the stops had been pulled out. The overly-huge ballroom with the domed mother of pearl ceiling, the arched doorways, the too-shiny polished floors, the beautifully tempting food that had been prepared, filling up the two brand new marble tables- each two and a half metres long, pressed in to the walls at the very end of the ballroom.

If they were going to go that far for the food, hiring the very best chefs galaxy wide that they could get their hands on just to help their own extremely overpaid head chef and his crew, it only made sense that they'd do the same for security.  
But the thing was, they couldn't, they could hire as many professional guards as they liked –they had the money to burn- but wouldn't it be offsetting? Alarming even, to have guards situated at every gap of the room watching them all, like hawks?

The 'customers' had made it irrefutably clear that although the focus of the party media-wise was to build relations and celebrate their brand new line  
-designed, advertised and made through their combined efforts, it would be expanding galaxy wide-and to celebrate the new conglomerate duo 'Modern look' and 'Beauty extreme's' first exploit together.  
Another major reason was to relieve tensions and improve relations between the two companies' well paid workers. They wanted this 'alliance' to work but that wouldn't happen without the workers being relaxed and respectful to one another on both sides. They wanted a relaxed and enjoyable evening full of mingling and an understandably gratifying boost of morale.

There was no way it would work with the security like that, no it was better, the head of security and the hotel manager concluded, if there were just a few guards mixed in with the crowd, all highly trained and for clandestine sake only around eighteen years old. The regular security team would be just outside and at the monitors, providing a relaxed and safe environment for the party. The hotel manager was sure it would work, the guests attending the party had been checked up on and those that did have sons under the age of eighteen weren't planning on bringing them along, it was almost too perfect.

This way the hidden guards could calm any issues down covertly –if necessary- and help the guests enjoy their festivity in peace.

It was because of all this that Rida had been given the job, a lucky break for him, he figured, great pay and easy as all hell. He'd been surprised at the uniforms though, the head of hotel Poiga's security explained it to him, the outfits were nice enough that they'd fit in but at the same time warded off chances of them being interfered with – like being asked to dance by daughters of the guests for example. It all been explained to him so many times he'd grown bored of it, Rida sighed out loud standing just outside the ballroom's huge arched double doors _no matter the reason, why the hell do I have to wear this belt?_

_**Switching over to D'jok and Micro-ice's super enjoyable entrance to the party around a half hour later. **_

'Mei, c'mon please, I've said I'm sorry' D'jok groaned pleadingly.  
'You let me down again D'jok, I swear I know my mom can be hard to handle I do but she's my mother and she's important to me. You made us late again, I WANTED her to see how much you'd grown, how good a boyfriend you are, I wanted the two of you to get on' She sighed 'maybe that's impossible, I'm sorry but for just once in the hover car on the way to a party I thought it would be nice if instead of nagging or complaining or, or little digs at each other, I thought it'd be cool if there was I don't know chatting and friendly banter or something'  
_Banter?_ Micro-ice thought, awkwardly standing beside the two facing off to each other.  
'Me and my wild fantasies' she laughed dryly throwing her manicured hands up in the air and turning on her heel, sweeping off.  
'Mei, wait up, Mei!' D'jok tried to chase after her but whatever was up with the floor and his pair of luminescent green sequined shoes… the two just weren't mixing. Or were mixing too well, his feet were slipping all over the place as he tried to run after his girlfriend, Micro-ice would've laughed out loud if he hadn't known how upset D'jok was.  
He still let out a little half cough/chuckle though. The scene was just too crazy and silly.  
D'jok began engaging in a half-split, he waved his arms franticly trying to pull out of it as his feet spread farther and farther apart one in front one behind.

Micro-ice could hear the guard at the door holding his sleeve up to his mouth and making long, scary, creepy muffled noises. He rushed forward placing both of his hands under D'jok's armpits and heaved, pulling upwards with all his might.  
D'jok was heavier than he'd thought, he tried to pull and pull 'ah' D'jok winced and Micro-ice heard a crack, he froze, 'no, no, keep going, keep going' so he continued and tried pulling him to the side instead of upwards, it worked better, the two light bulb feet held out at impossible angles relaxed slightly and Micro-ice let out a sigh of relief before the momentum of D'jok's body got too much for him and he fell over as D'jok's body toppled to the side.

The lone hotel guard stationed at the door didn't even try to hide his laughter this time, it came out an explosion, _definitely c4_ a voice at the back of Micro-ice's head said in a sly joking tone, _oh wait the effects are lasting a really, __really__ long time, might be nuclear!  
_Micro-ice's brain halted a second _  
Huh? What's C4 and the, the N thing, that thing with an N, meant to be?_

He was distracted by the hotel guards continuous howling, he clutched his large belly as it wobbled, squeezing it into himself, the effect was disconcerting, it looked as if, if he squeezed it any harder, it would burst! The guard kept on laughing slamming his big hand into one the doors of the double doors he was guarding again and again 'SMACK! SMACK! SMACK' Micro-ice stared and grinned having to hold back laughter himself from seeing the guard's over-enthusiastic amusement.

But D'jok was starting to hurt him now. The full weight of his body was holding Micro-ice down, pinned to the floor like a frog being prepped for a twelve-year-olds expert dissection.  
He looked around people were starting to gather around them now drawn to them by the laughter.  
He looked at the guard he was starting to lose wind now, wheezing and sliding his back down the wall he was leaning on, still holding his belly to him and nuzzling his face and chest in it like a plush toy. 'Heh…heh…heh'

Micro-ice pushed D'jok's head off his chest, but could move anything else by himself.  
'D'jok, D'jok, c'mon' he whispered hastily.  
'Yeah I know sorry I'm just… relieved and…sore,' he said waving one of his hands in an '_it's fiiiine' _movement.  
'D'jok you may not be much taller than me in your mind, or much heavier, but you are. Your crushing me! C'mon give a guy a break.'  
'Well, this is a role reversal.'_ Usually you helping me you mean _thought an exasperated Micro-ice_  
_'D'jok!'  
'OK, OK'

Micro-ice caught the eye of someone in the growing crowd, a guy their age, dressed in a black suit exactly like theirs. Glaring at them with such hot menace that Micro-ice winced. Micro-ice shifted his neck (the only body part he could really move) upwards slightly, yep, gaudy belt. The boy scowled at them almost accusingly, huh? Micro-ice wanted to mouth but the guy had suddenly whipped his head to the side looking at something they couldn't see, pale, eyes filled with fear.  
Micro-ice turned to look as D'jok groaned and struggled to get up.  
He saw the flash of a light bulb in the distance, behind the still-growing crowd; he knew it was arcadia news- who else could it be? _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0000oooo.  
_He pushed D'jok in the face, away.  
He felt like screaming.  
MEI WILL DUMP YOU THIS TIME! HER MOTHER WILL BE WORSE! ARCH WILL GIVE US EXTRA LAPS! EVERY GIRL IN THE GALAXY WILL SEE THIS! SINEAD WILL SEE THIS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WORSE HE'S GONNA BE?! MOVE!_  
_He felt hopeless, trapped as D'jok struggled, almost in slow motion he could see everything happening, the confused pointing of the fancy guests, he could see tomorrows headlines appear before him as if in a dream 'Style-less Snowkids Crash Super Party' Could feel the hatred and also the embarrassment of Mei's mother, as he saw the flashing light grow closer and closer, but suddenly someone was beside him pushing D'jok off so that he could breath with a gasp, linking his arm and pulling him along, he caught a glance at a gold belt _the guy from before? _'Grab him, help me!'  
_He means D'jok.  
_ Obedient to his new 'hero' Micro-ice numbly followed his brains simple instructions and his saviour's barked orders. Dragging at D'joks other arm, through the crowds as he felt their heads turning._ It's not gonna make a difference, they'll still find us, and worse this guy's gonna have to deal with it too after trying to help us!_

'Damn it! They'll still find us' the boy voiced Micro-ice's thoughts. The dead weight of D'jok was stumbling as they dragged him too fast, he looked around at the crowds and made some vague grasp of realization at the situation they were in, Micro-ice judged from the look of horror slowly dawning on his friend's face that he'd figured out what the consequences would be.  
He stood up properly, trying not to slip on the lacquered floors, moving with them in a glide motion, as if he were trying to ice skate. The new friend didn't remark on this, he just pulled him along even faster, unable to read the stranger's face, Micro-ice figured they were done for.

But they had to try something. Remembering something D'jok had once done for him, to save him from a dreadful fate. – The fate he couldn't remember, it was a school field trip to genesis he knew that much, D'jok had acted normally, acting like nothing had happened even though everyone in the class had seen, this time he could do it to, but instead of a teacher this time it would be live Arcadia news.  
He had to give it a shot, or laugh it off if it didn't work.

He let go of D'jok's arm and slipped away, through the crowds.

**/**  
Realising that his load had suddenly grown 'Huh? Fuck where's the other guy gone?' _is he thinking of leaving the blame to me and this moron?_ 'Shit.' The heads turning to look at him as they passed through the crowd were making him wince. His job was being ignored, not whatever this farce was. Finally they emerged from it and he made a beeline for the back entrance not even stopping to think of the stares he was getting from the people who had opted for not joining the crowd, among which he was sure to find his boss. His job was being ignored, not whatever this farce was, he opened no one had gotten a good look at his face.

They slid into the fire exit. The door making a too loud crash behind them as it slammed.  
Rida exhaled. This 'well paid and easy' job didn't look like it was going to be as easy as he'd thought.  
**/**

Micro-ice made a hasty treat towards the reporter.  
'Cieda Harpie here folks' thrilled the deep-purple skinned Zetsa woman 'Dressed to kill as you can see, in this beautiful polish pink ensemble, a design exclusive to the new line that this party celebrates.' She laughed and gestured down towards the pretty pink mini-dress she'd picked out in the exact shade of her own bubblegum bob, it contrasted oddly with her Amazonian figure yet at the same time seemed feminine and cute.

'And before the parties even started there's been some very interesting activity' she chirped 'spectators gathered here claim that they have just witnessed not one but two' she held up two of her three purple fingers for emphasis. 'Of the-'

'Snowkids!' Micro-ice interrupted from behind her waving at the camera over her shoulder.  
'Micro-ice! I certainly didn't expect you to be here tonight!' she turned to the camera gleefully 'I'm sure Micro-ice needs no introduction, one of the strikers of the Snowkids the number one team in the galaxy! What in the world are you doing here?'  
'For the party of course, me, D'jok and Mei are all here to enjoy the celebrations and the great food hotel Poiga's offering up tonight.'  
He caught sight of Mei walking quickly towards him, almost running, her eyes were worried and confused but her face was firmly set in lines of irritation.  
He ran theatrically and linked her arm pulling her over to the camera.  
She gave him a _what the hell are you doing_ look buthe ignored her and carried on.  
'Although I'm sure Mei is here more for the fashion than anything else'  
Cieda Harpie was eating it up now, he just needed Mei to go along with it -and for Cieda to forget about asking anyone who'd seen D'jok in the social-life destroying shoes why they were crowded around the entrance.

'Mei you're certainly revered as one of the fashionistas of the galaxy hailed for setting up the huge long hair/ponytail trend that's been going round all season, what are your new looks planned for spring on the southern hemisphere now that winter is finally bidding it's hasty retreat'  
'What um' she said, looking at Micro-ice for help _'your mother'_ he mouthed, years of acting classes and shooting for advertising contracts took over and she was a professional celebrity again 'Yes, I'm really happy to start the spring off here at modern look and beauty extremes' party. Everyone here is calling it the fashion party of the year and I'm so glad I came, I've always loved the two companies separate work especially beauty extreme's dresses and shoes but now that their working together I've got a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot more shopping!' she giggled and Cieda joined in 'For this season I've got a whole rack of ideas! Anything's possible and I have to say I'm pinning a lot of my hopes on the new line, however as you can see tonight I'm wearing a-'  
Micro-ice drifted away, the crowd of fancily dressed gawkers and models was now beginning to thin, although a few were staying to gawk at Mei and Cieda instead.

_Now where have D'jok and the other guy gone_?

He couldn't wait to tell him about how he'd saved his ass with the same trick they'd used on the field trip to Genesis.

_Crisis__ officially __averted _he thought proudly.

**Twenty metres directly in front of the Akillian stadium**

The blanket of whiteness stretched in all directions, if it hadn't been for the sight of the stadium anyone would think it went on forever.  
The snow here in this spot, although on rare occasions trampled on by the Snowkids coming and going by foot, has more or less been left alone since it tu7ook up position sixteen years ago when a certain scientist that would become, by a twist of fate, a pirate, clashed with the man who'd hired him.

Peaceful as the snow here seems, there is something beneath it, something buried long before the scientist and the man were even born. Below the snow, and below exactly nine feet of hard frozen ground, there is something.

It begins to snow, the white dots spiral down as if engaging in a dance they billow and weave changing course and dancing with one another, the dots of snowflakes gather and fall onto the white, hollow earth.  
And below the many, many thick layers of snow that have fallen onto this ground and never melted, below the hard frozen ground, a once-warm and soft red shawl exists, velvet, once beautiful and highly coveted, once loved and cherished, this shawl exists down there now, in the darkness, now faded and old but still full of love, of the memory of the one who put it there and above all still mindful of its purpose, you see, this deep rose red robe had been slowly and gently wrapped around a girl's corpse, so that it could at least in some emotional metaphorical way, always protect her body from the cold above.

The skeleton inside the shawl enclosed deep within the ground, remains motionless as ever but with no warning, suddenly, begins to glow for a moment, a strange light blue colour, where no can see but the red blanket and the old earth caked around it. The blueness rises out of the skeleton highlighting the crumbly earth way down below, stops and shrinks into a small little circle of blue, like the light from a torch.  
It rises upwards, there is only darkness below, even the layers of brilliant white snow are turned black in the absence of the light. But even the smallest light shines in the dark, it turns the colour of dark brown earth to blue then white to blue then finally the blue ball of light rises out of the snow completely emerging into the air, it hovers for a moment just above the ground as if it might sink back down at any moment.  
But then halts and begins to change, not suddenly growing outwards as you'd expect but slowly turning, suddenly leaps and latches onto a snowflake right before it joins the blanket on the ground, then the blue ball of light bumps to another snowflake and leaps to another and another and another, up and up and up.  
And then in the blink of an eye, the image of the ball is replaced, and a small and pretty light blue girl is trying to catch snowflakes in her hands.  
She grows up slightly, her straight hair growing longer, her chest and body maturing and her height increasing slightly also, she is around nineteen and very beautiful.

She stops for a moment, standing very still and cupping her naked blue hands together, looking up at the sky and the snow spiralling down. A snowflake falls gently down seeming to want to accommodate her, swaying like a feather, she looks at her hands as it drops down directly above them. But it goes straight through them, disappointed, and she peeks through her fingers to see it disappear into the whiteness of the ground.

She sighs and rubs her arms slowly and methodically, almost too purposeful, as if she is only pretending to feel the cold, she stays there a moment and a warm looking blue duffle coat appears. She stretches her arms into them and the round wooden buttons do up automatically, the coat cuts off halfway down her thigh, she is covered now, the cuffs of the coat pull down slightly so only her fingers can be seen, she clenches her fists. The cute duffle coat makes her look like she's in camouflage, it is the exact shade of her skin.

She looks up and starts walking towards the stadium, her blue feet disappearing into the snow with each step.

She passes through the door and looks around appearing confused.  
She walks down the corridor sure that she will find her goal one way or the other.  
She passes through two walls as she goes down the corridor, halfway through the second one she pauses to look at Clamp enjoying a hot coffee and some time to himself in his room with a good book. In his navy blue rocket launcher pyjamas. She raises her ethereal eyebrows and moves on.  
Eventually she comes to the corridor leading to the two shared dorms of the Snowkids (girls and boys). Ignoring any doorways she happens to pass, she walks straight down the corridor.  
She stops at the dead end, not even glancing at the right turn that is available to her.

She goes through the wall and looks around, she is in a very dark room, she cannot touch the light switch and even if she could she isn't sure whether or not it still works, but she knows where to go even without the light, she turns to the left and walks, her own blue glow casting a small circle of light around her feet. She stops suddenly knowing even without the light that she is at one of the walls of the large rectangular room. She kneels down slowly, and touches the wall with her pale coloured hand, a box slides out of what seems to be solid wall it floats for a moment then rests on the ground between her and the wall. She is looking down at what appears to be an old wooden jewellery box.

She reaches her hands forward, but hesitates, can she open it? She swallows, and slowly places her hands on the old wood, yes she can, she can do this.  
She swallows, and whispers to the wood, knowing her message will never be heard by the one she wants to hear it, or by anyone else.

'I'm sorry Aurellius. '

She takes a deep breath and opens the box.

**/**

_This took a full month AND A HALF because my laptop was destroyed, I've had a new one for the last two weeks but I had to start from scratch on the story because my files were wrecked. Updating is harder than it seems huh? Especially with a cruddy old laptop. But it's ok because while I was writing the idea for Rida was introduced and he's gonna be pretty useful for the story... if I keep him. Should I? TELL ME!  
Please tell me what you think, accept my apology for the late update and make suggestions!  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, what did you think of Cieda Harpie? What did you think of D'jok being the one to embarrass himself and get saved? FOR ONCE! Ok never mind if you liked that one I laughed to myself with evil glee as I wrote about the accidental splits on the polished floor, imagine his face! Ok sorry, it's just that I've discovered that I just __really__ love embarrassing D'jok but I won't overdo it, or will i? Realistic? Enjoyable? Crappy? Tell me!  
Pretty please?  
Love from the Streetpixie 3_


	5. Chapter 5 The world goes mad

Zatikog on the **Shadow Archipelago**

He had gone to get jedekin from the local dark shop. Jedekin was the Shadow version of aspirin and Zatikog had figured his drunken teammates would need a lot of it. He had been glad to go, leaving Nihilis to continue the rounding up of the drunkards, not hard seeing as when Shadow players are drunk they tend to stay in the one place and quietly cause destruction there, rather than moving about as some Akillians do when they are drunk, there is no swinging on chandeliers when the people of the Shadow Archipelago are wasted, no inspirational dreaming or "Totally man"s when they are high.

No. The Shadows laugh and cackle as they wreak havoc during their intoxication. Some are more docile and merely stay sitting in one place nodding their heads every now and again, others when inebriated at parties or social gatherings play musical dirges- the likes of which on any other planet would only be found at funerals.  
On occasion some perform 'embarrassing' slow dances with their partner or mate. Another reaction is staying very still and screaming for hours on end without feeling the need to stop or take a breath- but those last two are rare and usually only occur when highly under the influence. Certain effects depend on the liquor acquired or indeed the temperament of the Shadow in question.  
Needless to say however, in comparison to the rest of the world the shadow reaction to alcohol and other such substances, is slightly… different.

Zatikog's teammates – Fulmugus in particular, were more the pandemonium/destruction causing sort. He'd been, not pleased exactly, but very open to leaving the getting-them-home part to Nihilis. However he was required to buy her a Shakari doll (voodoo doll that closely resembles a Victorian porcelain doll from a galaxy far, far away and can be accessorised with wigs and dressed up in clothes as befit subject- only available on the archipelago) and get barf bags.  
He drew up to the popular apothecary 'Dark shop' and went in, as he entered he heard the familiar chime of the huge Notre-dame church style automatic bell that lived on top of the flat roof of the shop, it was painted black to match the shop, and the cawing of the stuffed mechanical crow somewhere inside, perched on the owner's one remaining shoulder no doubt.

He went through the rows of bookcases looking through them for the jedekin. The owner seemed change the order of the shop every other day. The bookcases were filled with all manner of abnormal things – Cyclops eyes, Akillian hands, Shadow hearts, chemicals, some premade concoctions on special offer, poisons, a full row of chloroform and even some magazines – one in particular was supposed to be lewd, he blushed when he saw the cover, it was a shadow girl dressed in a colourful floral print one-piece suit very similar to the shadow football uniform,  
. . . _uurgh . . . talk about risqué_ He thought to himself, quickly turning the coarse and vulgar cover over onto it's back, so that he couldn't see it.

He made his way over to the third row of dark blood magenta redwood bookcases hoping to have more luck there instead of having to ask the beady eyed shopkeeper for direction.

It was at the moment when, a strange girl far away on Akillian, opened an old box.

Zatikog collapsed forward bringing the heavy stone mask he'd been fingering down with him, the mask flew out of his hand and smashed into something glass, he knew this because he could hear, beyond the blood thumping in his brain and the heavy acceleration of his heartbeat, the glass object shattering in the distance, it seemed so distant, everything seemed distant.

He gasped and gasped, why was he gasping? He thought to himself_. I must be hyperventilating._ I can't stop gasping and panting, why do I need to breathe so much? Normal breathing was alright a moment ago. It's loud, breathing is loud, the shop was loud, the blood pounding in his ears was loud, why is everything so loud? Why couldn't he think properly? He knew he wasn't thinking properly. Too inconsistent. He continued gasping, he felt like a fish out of water opening his mouth and sucking in hopeless air, do fish feel physical discomfort when they are out of water? Other than the not being able to breathe part, did they not so much mind the odd sensation of solidity? He didn't feel physical discomfort, other than the irking noisy-ness of his incessant gasping, he was fine.

_I'm fine_ he thought to himself _NO I'M NOT_ an unusually loud part of his mind replied _whatever is happening I am not fine, something is wrong_ his voice in his head sounded like it was in pain _no, no I'm fine everything's ok everything if alright, why shouldn't I lie on the ground? Everything is distant, everything is safe_ said the persuasive and relaxed first voice _NO! _Yelled the pain, they continued to argue in his head, it was too loud, why was there so much talking? Shadows don't talk so much, they're weird, the voices are weird, my head is weird, the persuasion was right he should join the distance _No! Don't give in to it, STAY! _Yelled the angry pain forcing a pang of hurt into his chest to keep him awake, leave me alone! He screamed in his mind, leave me alone. They had to stop arguing, his brain felt like it was suffering under a nuclear war with all the blaring opinions and thoughts coming from his own voice.

But then there was something shaking his shoulder, blearily he looked up.  
He was curled into a foetal position on his side with his hands holding onto his head.  
The figure continued to shake him. Weakly he stretched out a hand to stop it, 'I can't leave ye alone… ye is on my shop floor taking up me valuable space, if ye is liking me floor so much… I must tell ye that it is not so clean as all that... if ye is truly wanting to stay there ye better be paying me and stopping dee-stoibing me with ye screamin' larks'

_Huh? _He thought. His mind was quiet now, thank god his mind was quiet.  
'What?' he asked the crippled loudmouth that he'd been hoping to avoid.  
The shopkeeper was creepy, he stared too much, made too much eye-contact, talked too much and when he did talk he spoke weirdly in a thick accent from nowhere and everywhere.

'Ye broke me cursed mirror and started screaming at me to leave ye alone! I nawt know what wrong I did ye but ye certainly is unhappy about it aye?'  
The shopkeeper sat down awkwardly on his haunches leaning too far to the left, almost touching the shelf, as if his body was off balance because of the huge chunk taken out of the top of his left arm and the end of bone of his clavicle, he wore a patch of cloth draped over it most of the time so that the scar and bone wouldn't ward off business but the cloth still sunk in showing off the basic outline of the jagged hole. The mechanical stuffed crow was situated, as usual, on the shopkeeper's right shoulder, leaning down heavily as if to try and compensate for the loss of weight on the left side of his master, it cawed softly.  
'Mirror? … screaming?' asked Zatikog starting to doubt his and the shopkeepers' sanity- he'd doubted the shopkeeper's sanity before many times, everyone had, but he usually didn't feel the need to question his own. It was disconcerting.  
'Aye, although be it true… ye naw have to pay me for me mirror for it twert all ready broken, ah for the life of me that it wer't… aye true so and gracious honest me… but ye made it worse and cracked me frame double'  
'Screaming?' Zatikog repeated ignoring the helpful facts about the mirror.  
'Aye twer ye were screaming a right fit, twer shame ah did not record it, wouldst a made me a reet profit aye… all ye young ones be believing it were another cursed item aye?... ye make no mistake cursed items is expensive business aye… and another thing, ye young ones be-'  
Zatikog broke through the stream and held up his hand. 'I'm sorry… to have disturbed… you… I didn't intend it… Did you hear me say anything other than….… to leave me alone?' he was talking slowly even for him and he knew it, but he was shaken, and a shaken Shadow is worse conversation than an ordinary Shadow is, and that's saying something.

'naw ye wert not screaming much else at me, but ye did say that it wert very loud once or twice, ye know laddie, if ye not be likin' the noise ye should pipe down yeself thought me! Aye… twer-'

Zatikog held up his hand again, 'sorry I'm not… feeling great… I think I should go home'

'Aye laddie… ye not be lookin' to fine… even to me eyes… and mark ye me words… me had seen many an unfine thing! Trust ye that young one' cackled the shopkeeper and the crow cawed softly at Zatikog 'ye be wanting anything for ye sickness? … Jedekin? Addled brain? Night creeper?'

Coming somewhat out of his daze Zatikog breathed out 'Jedekin … please'

'aye twer for ye eh? Best be gittin' it then aye?' he rose up and went off in search of the jedekin, Zatikog could hear him in the distance '… Seems a shame though… wuda been a lovely corpse… probably coulda gotten a hand or two for me service in reportin… aye twert it… ah but me be kind aye, a young un a screeching so bringin' out me compassion… aye twert…'

Zatikog sighed and held his head in his hands. What had happened to him?

/

Gahee and the unconscious Kernor on **Planet Unadar**

Gahee's eyes were on fire, she'd been asleep in the armchair beside Kernor's bed, but now the heat from her eyes had woken her up. She couldn't open her eyes, she was scared and in pain and she couldn't open her eyes. They were screaming at her, she could feel them burning, blistering beneath her eyelids.

She screamed but it did no good, they burned away at her from inside of her own skull, her sensory nerves were ablaze. People couldn't feel this much pain, they shouldn't be able to, it was impossible just like everything else at that moment.  
She tried to prise them open with her hands, and her they were cool against the hot skin of her eyelids, but they were cemented, sealed, it was useless, everything was useless, she screamed and screamed until her throat felt like it was on fire too.  
They two spheres at the front of her head were boiling like hot water, she could feel past the pain, the odd sensation of the liquid in her eyes, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour in each eye begin to bubble within the spheres.

And then it became worse. She would've thought it impossible but it did. It became so much worse.

It began to spread.

All through her body, an all consuming fiery pit of scorching skin and baking brains.

Blazing skin, boiling blood and saliva, flaming, burning, agonizing heart, the scent of burning in her nostrils, all afire, all ablaze

She was alone and there was only one thing in existence other than her and her pain, only the passionate flames as she screamed.

Until everything was fire, her mind was fire and finally, she became fire too.  
Because there was nothing and nobody else.

Just the faint smell of burning in an empty room, with a peacefully sleeping and snoring girl on a bed and a whimpering girl sitting on a chair and tossing and turning.

Probably caught in a bad nightmare.

/

Lune Zeara and Lin Zeara on the **Wamba's Planet**

Lune Zeara was giving her little sister a piggy-back ride home. Woowambo had thrown as big of a drama as she could've imagined, even after the coach had words with him he still continued with his uncharacteristic spitefulness. The atmosphere with the rest of the team had been so tense, no one liked seeing their captain that way, Woowambo was their good humoured and good natured friend, never a frown on his face unless he had to do serious 'captain business'. HE was the one who calmed their messes down, he was their mediator, and now he had turned into… this.

The others had tried not to stare at her after Woowambo had his big meltdown- involving screaming at her and calling her every name under the sun- they were all unusually quiet, way too quiet, Lune sighed her life had gotten so complicated because of this break up. She knew she had too patch things up with him and he knew it too, deep down, he knew he wanted to keep being her friend and do what was best for the team. But Lune Zeara didn't want to go back to being together with him, they'd been together too long, their relationship was stale now and as much as she loved him, she knew that her 'passionate' love had faded for Woowambo, just as his had for her, she knew, she'd felt it in his kisses and in the way things were between them. It was awkward, although Woowambo had just given her a new conceptual understanding of what 'awkward' really was, oh god the stares from her teammates! She'd wanted to fall into a hole. And what's more this only made her more annoyed because this negative, hide face in hands girl just wasn't who she was.

Woowambo knew that their couple relationship had long since disappeared, even before she'd said it, he was just in denial. They'd had a good thing and yes, they'd been truly and deeply in love at one point, it had been wonderful and Lune had never felt so loved and so safe and happy and so passionately about a man. He was her first love after all, she'd always had a crush on him, and he'd eventually figured that out and made the move, but they'd grown up and the strain of just 'Being in a relationship' was too much pressure, they'd stopped being themselves around each other, it was all too forced and it had gotten to the point where the only place Lune could be herself and be happy and be free was when playing in matches. Although they would always be best friends, it was better if that was what they went back to being, just friends.

Woowambo understood, he knew, he just didn't want to let go of their love and how happy they had been, but Lune couldn't go on like this. And she knew he'd come around eventually.  
She couldn't wait till he'd gone back to being himself so she could hit him for being such an ass!

She sighed. 'anything wrong sis?' asked Lin sleepily, she was soo relieved and glad that Lin had stayed outside during training today, there were times when she insisted on coming in and watching, and she adored Woowambo, seeing him like that would've broken her heart. 'Yep everything's fine-oh' she put her hand to her head, she was filled with dizziness.

_Huh?_

'Sis?' Lune Zeara, one of the top athletic strikers in the galactic league, slowly collapsed to her knees, still holding her younger sister up in a piggyback.

'SIS!'

And she was back to herself, 'um yeah sorry Lin I just got a bit too much heat today I suppose' then more enthusiastically 'boy it sure is hot huh?' she said bouncing up and brushing down her grazed and dusty knees. 'Yep we'd better hurry home' said Lin, deciding to believe her. Lune grinned bouncing Lin around, up and down, up and down, it worked and she got her desired result, Lin giggled 'Let's go!'

Lune decided to forget about that moment of dizziness, and tried to convince herself it was nothing. But inside she knew, she remembered and understood one simple fact, she hadn't felt like that since after the first time she used the flux during training.

_How odd _she thought to herself as she started to run and jiggle and laugh her little sister all the way home.

/  
D'jok on the **Akillian asteroid, hotel Poiga**.

The two were resting against the wall in the small emergency corridor, there was a metal stairway that would in an actual emergency take them down to the basement for supplies or up just eight steps to the door to the outside world.  
There were of course other exits from the ballroom than just the one D'jok had come in and the one Rida had taken him, but this one had been the closest Rida could find when he was searching for a way out. They were both quiet now, Rida was thinking now, trying to figure out if the reporter had felt the need to question the onlookers about the mess. _What a stupid thing, of course she would, and of course the party has been disrupted, of course no one is relaxed, of course I'm fired for getting caught up in someone else's mess, of course! Shit. _Rida sighed_ maybe he was blowing things out of proportion, the guy had just fallen over... then clumsily waltzed about with him while the stupid door-guard laughed. Even if it wasn't that big of a deal I'm sure my boss will end up thinking it is and firing me without pay. Damn it, I need money, another messed up job added to my résumé, no one's going to hire me if this streak of bad luck keeps up._

D'jok coughed; Rida looked up and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't decided what to do yet, he wondered if the idiot had anything useful to say. D'jok looked up 'Sorry' he said, then coughed again into his sleeve, his throat was feeling oddly ticklish.

Rida sighed, well at least the moron had apologised 'it's fine, we'll sort it out, and what's the worst that can happen? Other than not getting paid.'

D'jok was confused. He'd apologised for coughing, _what pay?_

He coughed again. And again, his throat was so sore, why? It had been fine, just a moment ago.  
He continued to cough, breaking into a fit.  
'Hey are you alright?' asked the stranger.  
D'jok tried to reassure him and get a hold of himself but he couldn't stop coughing he held his

Throat, so sore, so painful. He tried to cover his mouth, he heaved over crouching down, bent double he coughed onto the floor, holding his stomach, his chest was hurting now too, so much he thought it would explode. Pain ran up and down his spine, his back seared, he could feel every single vertebrae that he'd never felt before begin to torture him, worse than anything before, his spine ached and tormented him and he couldn't do anything to stop the pain, he couldn't writhe around or scream or even let out a moan. He couldn't stop coughing he was helpless. He coughed violently and felt something hot and thick rise up his throat he and then, the pain was gone and his throat was fine.

'Hey! Hey do you need me to call an ambulance or something? Are you having an attack?'

'An attack?' asked D'jok, well whatever that was had been scary, he'd been fine just a moment ago, he couldn't understand, why had his throat suddenly caught fire? Why had his chest felt like a thousand pins had been stuck into it? Why had his spine felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly with acid dipped knives. What. The. Fuck.

'Yeah, like an asthma attack or something'

'I don't have asthma though' said D'jok.

'That's not what I mean, like do you have cardiac arrest or whatever?'

'I don't think you can get a cardiac arrest attack, it's more like something you go into'

'Whatever, do I look like a doctor to you?' He gave D'jok a look that clearly said that he thought the guy was a complete and utter moron. -Well, he was wearing some pretty naff shoes.-  
_No need to insult my intelligence_ thought D'jok irritated now, _I know I looked like an idiot out there but whatever just happened wasn't normal _'Doctor's come in all shapes and forms, you could be off duty.' D'jok knowing how best to annoy him, courtesy of time spent with his best friend: the king of jokes. 'I'm not a doctor' walked right into that one 'Oh. Do you want to be a doctor?' 'NO! What's with you all of a sudden? You're-'

He paused 'you seem fine now anyway, but you were coughing up blood so i thought it was serious'  
'Blood?' D'jok asked, he turned. There was an ugly juicy clot of redness right beside his hand, his heart went cold and he tried not to panic –he failed. It was just a small spatter of blood really, it wasn't like he'd coughed up his entire supply or anything close, he'd just never coughed up blood before, he moved his hand away confused and scared, he could feel himself begin to sweat. _I was fine a moment ago, other than potential embarrassment and Mei I've been fine, what the hell? why did I…? _ There were a few other spatters of blood near to the one next to his hand,_ I have to go to the hospital, I have to go back and find Dame Sinbai to check this out. _He thought, but then stopped his panic, no, he couldn't walk out on Mei now, He'd already 'let her down' once tonight. _Even though that totally wasn't my fault and if she'd just listen to reason for once she'd understand that_ he thought to himself stubbornly. But he knew that he wasn't going to let himself ruin her night. He was selfish but not that selfish.

_If it happens again _he promised himself.

_Where the hell is Micro-ice?_

/

Krevlok on **planet Xenon**

Krevlok wasn't a galactik football player, he never had been, he was roughly sixty years old now and didn't look or feel a day passed the age of twenty four. After all he was a Xenon, and the Xenon's are a long living population when not at war with each other or someone else, but Krevlok had aged particularly well even for a Xenon.

War. A long and gruesome war, that was what he'd lived through, a flux war no less. And Death, yes he'd lived through that too, he'd lived through his meetings with death, which was more than could be said for many a hundred and indeed, many a thousand, who had not made it home.  
He was more than just an ex-soldier, he was an old war hero, of the likes that had been respected galaxy wide, a war hero who, even now, when children saw him passing by, they stopped playing, they pointed, they saluted. He was an ex-warrior who'd been offered a place in the flux society, in technoid, in every corporation or institution worthy of being called a corporation or institution, he'd been offered a place.

He'd rejected them all of course, but that was beside the point.

Krevlok wasn't one for politics, he didn't want a dull office job, nor did he want field work anymore- not with a fiancé and a future family to think of. That had been his thoughts when the war ended. And for the most part they still were his thoughts, his two boys had become men now though, Dyga had become a man, a very loveable and interesting man but still a man, already twenty six and finally standing up and telling Luur his feelings (yes Krevlok had been spying, so sue him).  
Little Luur, his second child, was now already twenty two, he'd never pictured it, he'd never dared to hope, but his two boys had grown up in peace, the Xenon planet lived in a time of peace! Unthinkably and unbelievably, without war or harm ruining their innocence before their time, his children had stayed safe. Which was more than he could ever have hoped for; he and his beautiful wife still loved each other and they still had that same fiery and passionate relationship they'd had when they'd first met, before the war.

Yes, Krevlok's life had worked out pretty amazingly, he'd had time to raise his loving family and no real injuries to his body, he had more money than he needed and a beautiful home.

But although he had everything he'd ever wanted, he still missed fighting, just like he was sure his two boys would've missed galactik football. He missed the feeling of adrenaline, the rush of movement, the sped up awareness, the joy of victory, the incredible euphoria his body felt when he used the flux. He didn't miss the pain, nor the killing, nor any of the other semblances of war (other than his friendship with his comrades) no, what he really missed, above all else, was the feeling when he fought an opponent that stood on equal ground with him, or was stronger than him (though he cursed his luck whenever he got those unlucky few), the truth was, he missed his calling.

But no matter how bored he grew of the lack of action in his life, he'd never call on anyone to change it, he'd never do anything to change it, it was just too perfect.

He smiled to himself at the memory of Dyga clutching his hand and panicky Luur rushing him to the hospital in his hover car. Not very fatherly he knew, but he was sure Dyga would be fine, it would be character building. He'd struggled to bite down his chuckles throughout the scene.

His kids were certainly entertaining that was for sure.

He walked home, head held high, a pleasant evening red and purple hue touched the sky of his damp and beautiful watery home, a prelude, he was sure, to an enjoyable night ahead as he informed his wife of their children's endeavours and they laughed together.

But then he freezes.

Like an opponent caught in the heat of Xenon during one of Luur's matches, he stops abruptly, confused by his sudden instincts he screws up his eyebrows, _what's wrong? Is there an enemy?_ But before he can look around or move even an inch from his frozen and guarded stance. He is caught off guard and suddenly every bone, every joint, every ligament, every tendon, his entire body is on fire and seizes up in a moment of utter agony. In an instant, the freezing up, the one questioning thought and the pain, so much pain.

And then almost before it had even really begun, the moment was gone. Krevlok's body relaxed and he gasped.

And then, he regains his composure and casually walks on, so that an onlooker would think he'd only been struck by a thought or an idea, not by pain that would bring any other man, any other Xenon, to their knees. No, no one would think that of Krevlok as he behaves now.  
His face is impassive, his casual head held high army walk unchanged, he even lets out a short high whistling tune as he rounds a corner, but inside, his mind is questioning a hundred things and working at a helter skelter pace, asking a question that is running or will be running through dozens of young footballer's minds before the night is out.

_What the hell just happened?_

/

The Cyclops and the Lightnings on planet **Cyclopias**

'And the Lightnings score the first goal of the match! Warren's on top form tonight ladies and gentlemen, and we're only ten minutes in!'

Warren smiled as he walked back to the kickoff point, for some reason Akkamukk was playing extremely well, but his unusual degree of enthusiasm had confused and thrown some of his teammates, it was only a friendly but their usual creepily in sync play and teamwork was falling apart. _I wonder what's going on with them tonight._

Actually, there were several odd things about this match; the way his Coach had announced it out of the blue to the team just two days ago, the amount of spectators that had come in to the Cyclopias stadium for the friendly match –galactik football matches, both friendly and league games were always popular, it's the number one sport in the galaxy for crying out loud! Of course it was popular, but it wasn't this popular.  
It wasn't an important match like the quarter/semi/actual finals and it didn't have any official significance, Warren was sure plenty would come to a galactik match no matter how unimportant it was but the Cyclopias stadium was just too big to be this jam packed and not have something going on underneath. He looked around casually, there must've been over a fifty thousand Cyclops present in the stands alone, all staring down at the match, it was like being watched by a peacocks tail, there were just so many eyes, all combining together to form a unified air of watchfulness. –The crazy thing was that the stadium was so huge that there were still entire rows at the back completely free.

Another thing was that the style of play from the Cyclops team was too aggressive, half had started the match in the usual way and the other half had thrown themselves into the match with such zeal that there'd already been two fouls within the first five minutes.

It was confusing, but Warren didn't really mind, he was a professional and he was there to play the game, and as always, put everything he had into winning it.

The ball got ready to soar up overhead, he and Akkamukk tensed getting ready for the moment when it arced into the sky and signalled another start to the action.

/

Callie Mystic was enjoying herself immensely. She always did feel extraordinarily happy when she reported for galactik football, even now, despite the fact that she'd long grown accustomed to such scenes, she still got a thrill off watching galactik football.  
It was even better because she was usually the one doing the commentating!

Warren had scored another brilliant goal and the air of excitement was rife throughout the stadium, there was nothing like a kick off to bring out that added sense of drama.

'Warren and Akkamukk square off, getting ready to dual it out for the ball, who will be the next to gain possession? The ball kicks off and-' _huh?_ The ball continues in its upwards arc 'and-' the ball comes down from its long-seeming flight and bounces down onto the ground, it bounces twice more before rolling slowly off to the edge of the pit.

The players are motionless. 'There seems to be some problem out on the pitch'

One of the Lightning players drops down onto the ground holding her sides and begins to scream.

The Cyclops goalie falls backwards, stumbling into the net and falling, he becomes tangled and panics weakly trying to wrestle his way out but only making the situation worse.

A lightning player clutches his head and keels forwards puking his guts up onto the pitch.

And then the players seem to drop like flies. One lying frozen on the ground, wide eyed, seemingly paralysed, another choking and clawing at his own face, digging his nails in and ripping at the skin. And in the eerie silence that follows beneath the screams and the groans and the crying, the silence that everyone in their homes around the galaxy watching the match can hear, the silence the crowd doesn't dare to break, the silence that even Callie Mystic can't seem to interrupt, Akkamukk and Warren are the only players left standing, still tensed, as if waiting still, for the ball that's already been launched.

Akkamukk is the first to move he raises his hand slowly to his forehead, the rest of his body still tensed in the same position.

He utters a single word that everyone hears despite the background noise from the other players. 'Huh?'  
He falls down with a thud.

And then there is only Warren, an island of calm on the chaos filled pitch, Callie watches in horror as the camera goes in for a close up on his face. He is staring, wide eyed and calm and still, into its depths, Callie and everyone seeing the live footage, goes cold and unconsciously holds their breath, it's as if he's looking right at them, asking each individual a question, but they don't know what he wants, or how to reply. The soul staring stops as he slowly closes his eyes, somehow, it's as if it takes him tremendous effort to do so.

And he falls forward also, but he isn't motionless like Akkamukk, he looks like he's having an epileptic fit. His body silently writhes and twists on the ground, like he's being electrocuted every few seconds, the camera sees it all. And slowly pulls back, for a full view of the pitch, the twisting footballers and the scared faces of the crowd, all looking down together, some holding hands and covering the eye(s) and ears of children, staying in their seats as if doing so is the only thing that can protect them from the madness below.

Because they knowthat the world has gone mad.

And the road back to sanity is always harder when you've seen it crumble.

/.

_Okay! Heavy stuff! Hopefully Micro-ice can lighten the mood next time ; )_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter- some feverish midnight writing went on here-_

_Thoughts? Advice? Compliments for my unbelievably and uncharacteristically quick update? _

_Review BELOW :_

_Love from the Streetpixie 3 xx_


	6. Chapter 6

**What Micro-ice and Mei got up to**

The party was serene and enjoyable, the orchestra had started up not too long ago and the dancing had begun. Mei had Micro-ice trapped at her side, linking him and scanning the crowds, looking this way and that for D'jok.

Micro-ice sighed 'I'm sorry for springing the reporter on you I am! But I was trying to help'

Mei ignored him, her worried eyes glancing around like a searchlight. 'You really don't know where D'jok is? He was with you when I left him at the entrance'

Micro-ice had already answered this question several times but the worry in Mei's tone caught him out, 'Mei, y'know the reason we were late was me, not D'jok,' he said awkwardly, Mei turned to look

_Why is it that I have to explain myself to Mei all the time? _He wondered.

'He wasn't trying to... disappoint you or whatever'

She sighed 'I know that, he never does… try to, he just always does'

_That's not very fair! It was my fault! Me! D'jok was only guilty of laughing, not a crime. And he was the one who hurried me along cos he didn't want to be late, granted that was more out of fear than anything bu-_

'I just, I love D'jok, I do and I want my mom to let me walk down my own path, and she is, she's letting me, but I want her to be happy about it too and she was for a while she was happy to respect my decision to go with D'jok and continue playing football to the best of my ability but whenever I mess up lately she blames it on D'jok and their relationship is getting worse so I'm stuck in the middle between them when D'jok tries to defend himself and she tries to protect me. Do you know what that's like? Do you have any idea?' She ranted at him angrily under her breath.

_Hmm being stuck in the middle in someone else's relationship… me?! No way! _He struggled to hide his grin.

He looked around for D'jok and the other guy again, his right arm firmly chained to Mei's left, _Why do __**I**__ have to deal with her drama? D'jok this should be you. _He did feel sorry for her, Mei was trying her best at whatever this was but he felt awkward being put in this position, it felt like he was acting as her current 'girl pal' and hearing her out just because she wanted someone to. He felt like he was on the fence between her and his best friend.  
_Besides, as a substitute for Yuki and Tia I don't exactly match up in the heart to heart area.  
_He wished Artie was here, he'd be so much better at this. He took a breath.

'Look Mei' he turned to her with a grin ready to start cheering her up, but she was already looking at him. Her eyes were filled with a look of horror as she stared at him, not meeting his eyes, looking at him but also through him, as if seeing something he couldn't, something horrible.  
'Uh… Mei?'

'No,' she breathed as she stared him going pale, 'no, no, no' she whispered her eyes drawn up in fear, he blinked at her unnerving expression. _No is a very negative mentality to have, what's wrong with maybe?_ 'Um Mei what's wro-' She grabbed his collar, _HUH?_, Micro-ice looked around panicked, no one was looking at them yet but if they did they were going to get the wrong idea. He looked back at her and was shocked by the look of pure fear and pain and anguish.

'No Micro-ice! Don't kill him' She screamed weakly, so quietly he was sure only he heard it, but her voice was strained as if trying to be loud but failing, her voice, it was so weak and small but filled with such emotion, her grip was so brittle on the collar of his black suit that her knuckles had gone painfully white. Just as Micro-ice was getting seriously freaked and turning to call someone, she collapsed forward onto his chest and her grip loosened on his collar.

'Huh?! H-Hey Mei what are you-' He grabbed her shoulders holding her upright, but her eyes were closed and she was unconscious.

He looked around, two people had looked up now, but their eyes weren't filled with suspicion yet, he had to act fast if he wanted to save the crazy girl from total embarrassment. He tried not to look like he was struggling, and slipped his hand around his waist trying to slide her over to the nearest exit. This would be so much easier if you were wearing D'jok's crazy shoes! She was lighter than D'jok though so they made good time.

This emergency exit was smaller and only allowed one person through at a time, even a small guy like Micro-ice and a girl like Mei wouldn't fit through together. He fiddled with the push door thing and Mei's head lolled against him. He prayed that it didn't look as odd as he felt it was to anyone who happened to be looking at them. Finally he opened the door and pushed Mei through, closing it behind him slowly and trying not to slam.

He looked over his shoulder down at the unconscious Mei.

He crouched down beside her and turned her over, her ponytail was starting to come out slightly and she looked small and weak in her pretty purple cocktail dress. It was shoulder-less and starting to slip down slightly from the rush to the door just then, revealing just slightly the pink of her fitted bra. He blushed furiously and gently pulled the top of her dress up a little, just so that anything she wouldn't want him to see was hidden. Holding his arm away from himself like it was infected and looking away as much as possible as he felt himself begin to fluster. She murmured in her sleep and turned over.  
He stood up and wiped his hand on his trouser, he knew it didn't make much of a difference but he felt that it was the thing he was meant to do in a situation like this, like a social requirement. He continued to blush furiously his ears turning beetroot and face palmed.  
He tried to gain some composure and peeked at her sleeping form through his fingers.

_Honestly did they put something in your drink?_

_/_

_Ok I know this one's super short, but it doesn't really have much to do with the next chapter and the next one's on what's going down in Shiloh anyway so it just didn't seem to fit *Shrug* really I should of put this with the LAST chapter but A: that was all about chaos and B: I didn't think of this at the time and C: Things are going to get heavy now so how about enjoying Micro-ice's blush and forgiving my lapse in timing? ? __ -besides it is important to the plot so it's not like I could just leave it out_

_Pretty please I hope you enjoy and review!_

_Love from the Streetpixie x_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys, so yeah, a lot of interpretation went on in this chapter, I have the outline for the next one and was going to release it with this as one chapter but I still have to sort out some kinks in it._

_This has a lot of description because I wanted the image of … in everyone's minds to be perfect I know it's one of my flaws to have too much description and introduction so I did do a fair bit of editing so please forgive me! Read and tell me what you think_

_/*/*/_

**What went down on Shiloh**

What happened in the nebula of Shiloh around the same time as a live football match fell apart, around the same time as when everyone who'd ever used flux felt something, and -most importantly- around the same time as when a mysterious girl opened an old box, involved a red item of clothing suddenly appearing on the ground across the street from the Black eye café where two members of the pirate football team sat enjoying a milkshake and each other's conversation.

Kate, the Unadarian who'd left her planet for a life of crime, adventure and football, was the one who noticed it first.

…

'Stephens?'

He looked up from his chocolate milkshake and at Kate. 'Yeah?' _was she still worried about the Rykers game?_

'What's with that?' she pointed at something across the way from the café.

'With what?' he asked rising slightly out of his seat to get a better look.  
'That' She pointed, he saw it now, it was hard to make out, but it was definitely there, near to the flower stall directly across the street from them.  
To the left of it, there on the dusty earthen ground, something red, behind his goggles he raised an eyebrow, it was probably nothing, just a scarf dropped along the way by one of the pirates or refugees who lived here, maybe it was one of the wares of a stall merchant fallen off the wagon cart on the way to work.

But his instincts told him to check it out, just in case, after all they were trained pirates, being careful was just a natural part of who they were, it had to be.

He looked back to Kate her braided red hair was carefully –as always- hidden beneath her visor hat, she had the half mask that she always wore at matches on as well, it was a black skin tight mask that covered lower half of her face, he could see her eyes, eyebrows and part of her forehead above the mask but nothing else. Only people like him, from the pirates, who'd seen her with it on would be able to recognise her, it was one of the reason she always wore it, it gave her security, like nothing else could.  
He met her eyes and gave her a _look,_ she nodded absent-mindedly, she'd stay there and wait, if he wasn't back within eight minutes (Protocol pirate timing) and she had received no word from him, she would send an alert out through her Mecha watch- But that was just in case, both of them were fully aware that this was only them humouring the careful habits gained from training and that Stephens would be well within sight of her.

'Be right back'

He walked across the street quickly, the flower stall veteran pirate gave him a nod and he gestured in return, he walked to the left, and got closer to the red item. He knelt down beside it, his training kicking in and telling him to notice everything he could, it wasn't a scarf like they'd thought, but it was a close enough guess, it was a red cloak of some sort, he picked it up and was surprised, he didn't recognise the fabric, it was heavy material around the same weight as cloth from a cotton jumper.

The texture of the fabric was like a cross between a warm mantle and light velvet, it was warm even to the touch and he was sure a cloak of this quality would keep anyone anywhere, -even Akillian- comfortably warm, it was light enough that it would never weigh you down after a long journey, but not too light as too let cold in.  
The colour was deeper than he'd thought from afar as well, a dark crimson with flecks of lighter red on the hem, he held it out so that the fabric swept down and he could see its length, it was beautiful.

He bundled it under his arm and turned to walk balk to Kate just a metre away, she was looking at him now, he raised a hand to give the ok, but froze, something was wrong with Kate she was moving frantically out of her seat knocking over the table in her haste.

It was like everything had gone into slow motion, Kate reaching out her hand toward him, starting to run, the clatter of the table as it ricocheted off the ground, the two milkshakes falling slowly to the ground, the liquid starting to run out of the plastic lid mid air, splattering onto the ground. He blinked and snapped into action, he spun and kicked whoever was behind him, feeling his foot connect with something soft, throwing the cloak high up and toward the offender, he saw someone fumbling under the red two hands reaching up beneath the cloth, trying to pull it off, trying to get at him.

He slammed his hand down onto his Mecha watch so hard that the metal dug into his skin leaving a small scrape to deal with later. He skidded away over to Kate in the middle of the road, the flower stall veteran didn't miss the sudden frantic behaviour and drew a large pistol style plasma gun pointing it readily at the red cloth offender.

Stephens reasoned that it could possibly just be one of the refugees come to take back the coat, Kate could've over-reacted she did that sometimes when people appeared out of nowhere, all of the stall holders were aware of it- and the fact that she immediately attempted to drop kick anyone who startled her without warning.

The fumbling person stopped struggling with the cloth and turned slowly so that Stephens could see it was facing him and Kate, he moved his left foot back a step and pivoted slightly into a ready stance, raising his hands up to guard, making sure he was as small a target as possible.

The stranger kicked its foot onto the cloth, dragging it down so that it slowly fell.  
Stephens heard the old pirate swear under his breath, Kate gasped, Stephens's brain was still processing things so he wasn't as far as the other two yet.  
There was a skeleton in front of him, standing very still, hand at sides and just, looking at him.

At least he thought it was looking at him, its head was angled so that it seemed that like it was looking at him. _Was__ it looking at him?_

'Is it a bot?' he asked quietly in the silence that followed, no one even tried to answer him, they just watched it, well, he hadn't really been expecting much of an answer. It was like an old renaissance painting of the anatomy, half of it still had muscles and skin holding onto it the other all bone, there was no way there would ever be a technodroid like this one, he knew, but technoid was what he was used to, it was a bad pirate habit to assume anything sudden and threatening was to do with technoid, he knew it wasn't them, but he had to ask, it made things feel normal again, if a pirate's life was ever normal.  
The middle aged husband, who ran the milkshake café with his wife, was pulling the curved metal blinds down, it clattered against the ground with a sharp metallic thud.  
The skeleton turned ever so slightly to look at the closed, shop cocking its skull so far to the left that if it had been alive its neck would've broken. It still had bits of flesh on it, dried out and parched looking, it still had four out of five fingers with muscles and all on its right hand, still had a few strands of old dried out hair clinging to a patch of scalp on its skull. It didn't look like the bodies Stephens and Kate were used to, no fresh wounds as in dying comrades, no peaceful look on the face like at funerals, it wasn't like the old yellowing skeletons you'd sometimes find in caves or cells either, it wasn't like the bleached ones in far away memories of science class in their old schools either. It was like a corpse that had resisted time, resisted death, one that still clung to life with as much of its rough old skin as possible clutching onto it, a corpse that didn't want to die.

The street full of stalls and a few small shops was slowly turning into an empty wasteland again as the 'nomadic' stall shopkeepers wordlessly wheeled their livelihood away and the live in ones rattled their doors shut.

The skeleton turned its head back to Stephens and slowly moved the ball and socket joints of its patella, reaching its hand forward gently, its movement so human as it scooped up the cloak and slowly, almost lovingly, pulled it around its scalpula and clavicle, fastening daintily the red string at the collar of the robe, pulling the big hood up so that the top of its skull and its gaping eye sockets went out of Stephens view.

Kate, Stephens and the old pirate watched suspiciously as it carried out these actions, Kate who although very battle ready, was not one to look for a fight, edged over to Stephens. And whispered to him 'I've hit my mecha watch but I use it almost twice a day, they'll be slightly slower to come to me, have you hit yours?' Eyes not moving from the red clothed skeletal corpse he nodded, he felt her let out a short breath of relief 'Ok then, that's two of us so they'll probably come quick, plus all the shopkeepers will have called as well, in the mean time what do we do?'

He didn't answer, but he knew she already knew the answer so it didn't much matter. They would stay here and handle things, if it moved away they would follow at a distance, if it attacked they would defend, they would do everything in their power to stall this thing until the other Pirates came.

The red cloak turned suddenly away from them, pivoting on a skeletal heel and back to them, walking away.  
The two glanced at Jakeson, the old pirate nodded at them and turned back to his stall, getting ready to leave for the day.

They walked quickly after the skele-corpse. From this angle, when you couldn't see any of its bones or skin, it looked normal, like any human walking away down a street. They kept just a few paces behind it, activating the trackers on their watches. They followed it as it walked calmly on, through the maze like twists and turns of Shiloh that'd taken Stephens months to find his way around and Kate almost two years.

It was walking with great purpose and no hesitation.

Like it knew exactly where it was going.

Stephens was a pirate first and a footballer second, but much as he told himself that, he silently prayed to himself without letting it show on his face as they pursued business-like and serious after the creature, that they wouldn't miss the match tomorrow.

. . .

Well, let's be honest, that was the least of his worries.

/*/

_The plot thickens. Any thoughts? I know I didn't do Stephens very well here but that's because I was more focused on the story than anything else while I was writing, not very fanfic of me to neglect the characters but I won't next time! _

_I hope you all liked and enjoyed it, and I'll get working on the next one right away!_

_***Streetpixie flies off to write you a new chapter***_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys, so yeah, this is part 2... I'm sorry!_

_The Shiloh arc still won't be done with this so please wait 4 part 3 as well._

_ I've got it mostly written. but part 2 was getting 2 long and I didn't want 2 bore you and I ended up changing my mind about what 2 do with the plot so I have 2 start from scratch now and...well... yeah... here's part 2, enjoy!_

_/*/*/_

**What went down on Shiloh part 2**

In the nebula of Shiloh, the sun beats down on any living thing that comes under its gaze, it tries to sear at you, to wear you down, to mark again the territory, the dust ground asteroids. The belt of rocky almost-planets, that are almost universally under the influence of the dangerously close star, with dried out skeletons and dehydrated plants, the sun dries out your throat, and as you continue to walk aimlessly in the wasteland, sweat pouring out the little remaining moisture that you have left, legs aching falling finally down onto the blistering floor which burns at your skin when you touch it, it dries out your eyeballs, melts what is left of your brain.

Nothing could live here, not even birds to pick at bones of the innocent victims.

The nights are merciless also, you see, Shiloh is a world made up of two extremes, extreme hot and extreme cold, so if one doesn't kill you the other will sure as hell finish the job, the freezing temperatures, the hidden and almost invisible frost that settles over unsuspecting sleepers and slowly, gently, freezes their hearts within their chests.

The pirates came here, before they were even called the pirates, just a group of five young men and a dying little girl, running to a place all deemed uninhabitable, a place so lost and unforgiving, that only the most desperate of people would come to it.

And they were desperate.

They had nowhere else left to run to, they'd made enemies with a company so old and powerful that its reach extended all over the galaxy. Shiloh was the one place that everyone and everything ignored. If their pursuers had known that the fugitives had come here they would have waved their hands and said 'Ha, never mind then, they'll be dead within the first hour'.

But they weren't, somehow against all odds they survived, they lived, they mocked the burning sun of Shiloh, that had never dealt with such stubborn victims before, they mocked the cold, mocked starvation, they mocked the elements, they even mocked death. Because they lived.

The girl died after a year, surviving longer than anyone could've guessed.

But the men who had become her family, the men who had done everything they could to protect and save her, lived on, built mazes, built traps, built tunnels, so that if technoid ever dare come here, they'd be ready to make them pay.

They were later, by a twist of fate, joined by a pair of fugitives just like them, who would've died without their help. But these two individuals who had been saved by the still-nameless family, of kind and talented yet vengeful and embittered men had something that changed the fate of the resourceful little family forever.

There was one crucial difference between the two new comrades and themselves, the difference that marked the beginnings of the pirates, marked the beginnings of an organization that would much later become the symbol of everything free and rebellious in this world.

You see there was this one very special thing about the two new friends.

They had a stolen ship.

And all of a sudden the group had a new source of income.

…

Stephens, Kate and the Skelecorpse in** the Nebula of Shiloh**

The red cloaked thing walked ahead of them, the sense of resolve that it exuded was frightening in its firmness, as if, even if it was torn asunder and only had a skull left to go on, it would still continue no matter the obstacle, slowly inch forward, creep up the path, struggle and clamber, wriggle and drag, edge persistently towards its goal  
-Whatever that was.

Stephens found it creepy, that a dead thing could have so much determination, more determination; he was sure, than could be found in many a living being.

It turned through back alleys, tripped down beaten old stairs, twisted the path in and out, left and right forward again, through an old deserted crooked-wood building out the other side, straight, straight, left again, through lanes both narrow and wide, a myriad of countless directions, so many that Stephens lost count and knew that he and Kate would probably have to find a different route home, he would've doubted whether or not the sinister being actually knew where it was going, but for its irrefutable… doggedness

Finally as it began to leave the dusty crumbling buildings of Shiloh, that hid much more advanced technology then its bleached and sun streaked appearance could hint at, as advanced as you'd find on any planetary living space in the galaxy. The pirates and the refugees lived in them, crumbling buildings that had been made to crumble, the pirates could evacuate this place at any time and all that would be found afterwards by their invaders, would be ruins.

As it began to walk out into the dessert, Stephens stopped and gave Kate a look telling her to do the same, he looked at his Mecha watch, the pirates were following them, soon they would catch up he was sure, but the dead thing could continue walking in that dessert for who knew how many hours, he knew that he and Kate couldn't risk it, not without bottles of water and food accompanying them anyway.

'Huh, Stephens where did it go?'

'What?' he turned and saw the unchanging bleached horizon of the Shiloh dessert, minus the red figure.

He broke into a run in the direction it had been going,_ DAMN IT! No, no if they lost it now it would be near impossible to find again._ He mentally berated himself for taking his eyes off it for even a second.

_A potential threat and you allowed yourself to get lax, it could have turned around at any moment and attacked, it could've done anything, you knew you'd never seen anything like it before and you still allowed yourself to fall into a lull, you lapsed your concentration, when on a mission you __don't __lose concentration, it's not an option, especially when you're the only present leader of said mission and your with someone like Kate. Kate hadn't lapsed; she'd had her whole focus on the thing before you told her to stop! Why did you tell her to stop? It was moving slowly why didn't you put a tracker or something on it __before__ you stopped? Why did you make such a rookie mistake? It was your responsibility. IDIOT._

He kept running around the area he'd last seen it, it was hopeless damn it.

He turned back to a lonely and confused looking Kate three metres away on the edge of the ruins.  
'Kate,' he called over to her, she'd be panicking any second now 'it looks like we've lost it. I'm sorry, it was my fau-'

_~~~~Fwoomp~~~_

Sudden falling, whooshing air. A last glimpse of Kate, not close enough to see her shocked expression.

He landed awkwardly from his fall, onto hard, hard stone.

_Ow. . ._ he thought to himself dimly _well, that was a surprise._

It was dark here. Very dark. Gently he felt his hand around on the ground, it was stone, it was smooth and cold on the floor, the layout felt like a long, jagged method of triangular tiling. He felt a wave of confusion wash over him.  
W_hy is there a place like this in the Shiloh dessert?_

He forced himself to ignore that question for the time being. There had been nothing to cushion the fall, he realized how lucky he was, not to have cracked his head open, there was nothing but stone here.  
He looked up, seeing the azure skyline above through the perfect round hole in the ground he'd just fallen through.

Putting two and two together he figured that the dead thing from earlier had probably disappeared down here too.  
Slowly, he forced himself to relax against the too close wall behind him, mentally checking the amount of pain the fall had caused, checking for breaks before allowing himself to stand slowly up, with the help of damp stone wall he was resting his hand against.

His body ached slightly but it was probably nothing but bruising, again he realized his luck.  
He gave out to himself again in his mind, for panicking over his mistake and losing focus, he should have searched the ground, and the sky when he realized the corpse had disappeared, unlike him and his teammates, most beings didn't just vanish into thin air as the urge took them.  
He was in a cramped cylindrical space of stone, like a tube extending down from the hole above, he felt around blindly yet methodical in his thorough approach to being stuck in a tube style hole.  
Being a pirate isn't exactly the type of occupation easily handed to people with claustrophobia, or any sort of phobia really, the higher ups usually trained that sort of thing out within the second week though. Stephens himself had been one of the recruits with Acrophobia - fear of heights, it had been casually ironed out of him though and now nearly nothing could faze him. Least of all spontaneous holes in seemingly solid ground.

Gently touching the stones, careful so as not to disturb anything, he had no idea how old this place was but he didn't plan on being buried alive anytime soon and seeing as it was probably one of the few cool places to be found in the Shiloh nebula outside of the pirate residence areas on the comets, it was likely to have some type of poisonous animal or bug hanging around it, it was best to be careful.

There was an exit, he was sure of it; otherwise he would have fallen onto the skeleton thing instead of the stones. Almost making a full 360 degree turn he finally found a gap, a way out, but it was lower down than he'd thought, he was going to have to crawl through.

'Stephens! Stephens!' he heard Kate calling from above.

'Yeah Kate, I'm down here' he called up to her, a minute before seeing her masked face pop into the round vision of blue above.

'Stephens! Are you ok? Did the skeleton body thing fall down there too? Is it in there with you?'

'Yeah I'm fine, there's a tunnel exit here I should be able to crawl through it to get another look at the thing, the rock formation here seems pretty steady I don't think it'll collapse too easily, keep on your guard when the others get here tell them what happened and talk with me via our communicators ok?'

'What?! B-but Stephens it's too dangerous alone, way too risky, you've never been there before we don't know what's out there! Wait for the others to come first, it's safer and we'll have more to work with and – and-'

'It's ok Kate, I'll be fine, I'm one of the most careful people on the team remember? And it may be gone again by the time everyone gets here' He crouched down, preparing to crawl through the opening.  
'Wait! Stephens!' But he was gone. And Kate was alone in the dessert waiting for back up.  
She looked around, and sighed to herself, she had a huge feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach.

'My stupid, stupid captain is going to get himself killed.' She predicted to no one in particular, it probably wouldn't have mattered even if one of their pirate comrades had been there, they were used to her making these kind of statements so they probably would've simply ignored it.  
She couldn't though. She sighed again pulling her half mask down from her face to reveal the white lips and the too warm and sweaty skin of an uncharacteristically panicky ex-Ryker.

'Stephens please be ok,' she whispered worriedly.


End file.
